Cataclysm
by BrassLass
Summary: Lila Rossi is about to tell the last lie Adrien is tolerating and the consequences will send Paris heroes on the path to finally knowing each other's secrets. But at what price?
1. The lie that broke the cat

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was feeling pretty lucky as of late. Stressed, sleepy and sometimes a bit too hungry, but lucky.

There was this weird balance in her life, on one hand she had a lot on her plate: Getting good grades at school, improving her designing skills, helping at the bakery, fighting akumas and the occasional criminal, hanging out with her friends and wooing Adrien Agreste. On the other hand, all of those things have been going pretty well, even if she had to cover with makeup the bags under her eyes before going to school and sometimes her pain au chocolat ended up forgotten in her room instead of in her stomach.

Alya might disagree with her and say that she was stressing herself thin, specially on that last item on her list; But to Marinette's standards, being able to actually talk to the boy of her dreams instead of babbling incoherences and having him be a part of their regular hangouts now was enough progress. She was not in a hurry, they were 16 after all and couldn't marry in two more years, so she had time. Alya hit her head when she heard that joke the first time she had to explain her ''slow progress''.

But being serious, Marinette really was enjoying her life, even with Lila's presence being a constant now and Chloe being as annoying as always, both with the (Light) bullying to Marinette and the nagging to Ladybug to get her miraculous back. And speaking of miraculous, Marinette was also training with Master Fu to become the guardian, though training was a strong word for one hour sessions a week of talking about philosophy and history and what not.

''The best thing a guardian can be, is careful, Marinette'' Repeated Master Fu for what Marinette thought was at least the 45th time this month. She never complained about his teaching and she was learning a lot about the miraculouses and their powers, but she thought that if one thing described Master Fu's way of _Guardianing_, was paranoid.

''Master, you always tell me to think of the worst case scenario but I don't think it helps on a fight, I usually just try to find a solution fast instead of thinking what happens if we lose'' She said, Tikki by her side nodding.

''I'm not talking about fights here Marinette, being a guardian is much more, you need to find the right person for the miraculous that are needed and you need to understand each of those people and the powers they are connecting with, and for that, you need to be extremely careful'' Master Fu seemed to be very passionate about this particular topic, Marinette thought, for he always lighted up when the conversation about finding new chosen ones started. It was a curious thing, considering he didn't want anyone else wielding a miraculous permanently.

''And how do you know that you chose correctly?'' She asks this time, a bit afraid of the answer. Master Fu chuckles and says ''The fact that you care more about fight scenarios than anything else is a good sign for me, Ladybugs have always been attracted to action and hands-on type of people''

''It's the best part of creation!'' Exclaims Tikki, and Marinette joins on the chuckling too. ''You are right, I suppose''

After that session with Master Fu, Marinette went home thinking of her partner, what characteristics did he have that made him a good fit for the miraculous of destruction? It was a disturbing question for anyone who didn't know Chat Noir well; Marinette was everyday more convinced that behind the flirting and the puns, was a true gentleman and one of the best people she knew. The slight pink tint on her cheeks while thinking that was just the product of her jog to get home before dinner. Yep.

Adrien Agreste was feeling pretty unlucky as of late. Not that he wasn't happy with his father finally letting him have regular meetups with his friends and the fact that Ladybug actually laughed to one of his jokes the other night, he was certainly grateful for that. But he was feeling the weight of the pretences and too many coincidences lately making his life harder than it used to be.

For once, the price he had to pay to get to see his friends more often than not, was to pretend to be Lila Rossi's friend, which also meant to pretend that all of her lies were true. That was tiring enough without adding the fact that on top of all of the activities (Which he was liking less and less by the day) he had to do to keep his father happy, he now also had to assist business classes. _Business classes._

Adrien wasn't sure what his father thought the gain was on being friends with someone like Lila, like, come on, every two words in a sentence the girl said was pure smoke. One of these days her Loki blessing would run out or something and Gabriel Agreste's son PR would go to the ground for associating with such a liar. Not like that was the worst. She would insult her friends sometimes, subtle enough to not make her look like an asshole, but obvious enough that when Adrien just played along, he did. Even Chloe tried an ''intervention'' with him and told him that his ''sunshine boy points'' were running out. What was that supposed to mean?

On top of all that he was feeling the symptoms of actual old school bad luck more these past weeks than he ever did before. He tripped often, over the stupidest things, his chemistry project blew up on him in the lab even though he was sure he did everything by the book, and he just kept losing his food money. He asked Plagg about it and the cat just shrugged and said ''Maybe your sunshine boy points really are running out''. Very helpful. At least his lady listened to him, when he didn't go into detail of course, if he did she would just cover her ears with both hands and start singing. Sometimes that was enough though. Just the fact that she was there for him. But sometimes it wasn't, sometimes Adrien Agreste crumbled onto his bed after a long day of school, pretending to smile for the cameras and his friends, fencing, freaking business classes and patrol, sprinkled with the occasional akuma attack and tripping with his own shoelaces, and he just wanted to cry.

He didn't though, he just laid there thinking about his lady and would calm down eventually. This night he felt a chill as he closed his eyes, he thought of the good things, the good moments, and fell asleep. Plagg was worried sick.

Marinette ran with a croissant on her mouth, cheeks pink because of the effort of just using her nose to breathe. If anyone got close to ger, they might have heard tiny squeaks coming from her bouncing bag every step she landed on the pavement. When she made it to class, she was out of air and the tiny god of creation on her bag was dizzy, but she was proud. This time she made it 15 minutes before class, enough time to present herself as the responsible student that was only _occasionally_ late she knew in her heart she was. She fixed her hair a bit before entering the classroom, the scene on the inside taking her by surprise.

Almost every student was there, with the exception of Chloe, who liked to be fashionably late when she had no plans of being a little prick. The official mean girl title was taken (In Marinette's eyes at least) by the protagonist of today's unfolding scene: Lila Rossi.

''And after that romantic request, well, the third one anyways, I said yes!'' Lila was saying when Marinette entered the room. She noted Adriens miserable look beside her, bags under his downcast eyes and wearing his white gym hoodie, in an attempt to hide the fact that he did not put gel on his hair that morning, Marinette suspected.

Every girl in the room let out a little sigh at the probably cheesy story Lila was telling.

''So now Adrien and I are officially a couple'' Marinette's worry picked even more after hearing that, specially after noticing Adrien didn't even look up from his desk, in fact he looked like he wanted his face to become one with the wood.

''Woah dude! I didn't know you liked Lila like that, you never told me! congratulations!'' Exclaimed Nino, putting one arm around Adrien's shoulders. Adrien just sinked lower.

''Of course he always had an eye on me, in fact, his mother wanted to promise us before she parted, she told me we were made for each other the same way she and- '' Lila got interrupted mid sentence, when Adrien suddenly was not melting on his desk and was standing, fists closed and trembling.

''_Do not_ stain my mother's memory with your lies'' He said, voice low and eyes looking at Lila's own. Marinette only saw Adriens back from her point of view, but she could see Lila recoiling a bit in fear and wondered what was she seeing. The master liar recovered quickly though, and took her phone out. ''I'm not lying love, In fact, I can call your father right now and ask him to confirm for us that your mother did in fact-'' ''Stop mentioning her!, you never knew my mother! and we are NOT dating!'' Adrien screamed this time, everyone in class was paying attention now if they weren't before. Some started whispering among each other, and Marinette could tell they were looking at Lila and Adrien equally, as if no one was sure who to believe. The golden boy of paris, or the most interesting girl in the world?.

Marinette was about to intervene and join forces with Adrien when he started laughing, she frowned in concern instead. ''Besides, you think my dad will answer your phone call on a work day? what a joke'' he chuckled with sarcasm '' He doesn't even answer his son's calls on christmas, why would he have your number even registered?'' Marinette was sure that those words were the closest thing to cruelty to ever come out of Adrien's mouth, her brain couldn't decide whether to feel sad at the implications of what he said, or just join him and enjoy the pettiness of calling Lila a nobody.

But Lila called anyways, phone on speaker. Adrien crossed his arms beside Lila and just then noticed Marinette's presence. Her expression about to match his smug face until they heard a distinct ''Hello? '' coming from Lila's phone, Gabriel Agreste's voice unmistakable.

''Hey mister Agreste! It's me Lila Rossi, do you remember when your wife told us long time ago that Adrien and I were made for each other? '' She said with a chipper tone. Everyone waited expectantly at the answer, but Adrien and Marinette just stared at the phone, mouths slightly open.

On the other side of the line, Gabriel considered the implications of Lila Rossi's words. Of course there was no such promise, he didn't even know of the girls existence when Emilie was still… here. Which meant that the girl had some sort of plan, she was triggering someone, most likely his own son. He gave up on the idea of akumatizing Adrien a while ago, no matter how miserable he became he never detected a strong enough emotion for him to capitalize on. Besides it was risky. But he was extremely curious nonetheless, would something like this finally break his son? the implications of Emily making his son react enough for him to detect him were... interesting.

''Yes, I remember, is that all miss Rossi?'' He might be a manipulative bastard, but he still hated to play this girl's games. He was not going to add to the pile of lies if he could avoid it. ''Yes'' She almost sang and ended the call.

Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did his father go mad? was he toying with him? or maybe he was wrong all along and Lila did in fact tell the truth more often than not?. He felt as if the fabric of reality was collapsing inside of his head, for a moment he entertained the idea of him waking up this morning to a parallel dimension where he was, in fact, Lila's beloved boyfriend. Then he looked at her evil little smile and he knew his father was bought somehow by this girl, and that he was pissed.

Hawkmoth sensed Adrien Agreste's anger, strong and finally getting out like a sponge releasing all the water it absorbed on a single squeeze. He savored for a little bit then decided against sending an akuma and just study those feelings. He might have made a marvelous villain out of his own blood, but then again, now that he knew Adrien had such strong feelings towards his missing mother, he'd rather get a new, more permanent, ally.

''I'm not your boyfriend, I don't even stand you enough to be your friend. I'm done pretending'' Adrien bit those words out, everyone on class with their eyes open in disbelief at his words. ''The only reason I tolerated Lila is because she threatened my friends, I'm sorry but I'm done'' He addressed the class now. Lila's face showed a glimpse of worry before chuckling lightly. ''Oh Adrien, you don't need to act out like this, it doesn't suit you. I know you don't like it when your father and I mention your mother, but I can't avoid it if you start denying our connection in front of everyone, she loved me too you know'' She ended with a sad tone. Everyone started looking at Adrien, fists closed, hoodie still obscuring his angry features and compared him to Lila, who was almost tearing up now at the thought of beloved Momma Agreste seeing her son like this, all angry and forgetting who she chose to be with him.

The picture Plagg was seeing was even more disturbing. One of his kitten's fists was starting to let out a black smoke, dark bubbles rising slowly. The little god looked around from his position on Adrien's bag and to his relief, no one was seeing what he was witnessing, they were all just staring at faces, not hands. Not even the little bug noticed the power of destruction coming out of Adrien's right fist. Then suddenly, the blackness vanished and fingers got loose again, defeated.

The connection Hawkmoth felt just a second ago disappeared. He almost jumped at the change, one moment he was studying all the anger coming out of his son's mind, the next nothing. Poof. How did he do that? What did he even do? Even when other people managed to control their emotions before an akuma got to them, the process was a blend between the calm and the storm, not this abrupt. Gabriel considered for a moment the wild possibility of Miss Tsurugi teaching his son some exotic zen relaxation method, then shrugged the thought. This was not normal.

Plagg felt relief, but only for the brief moment in between the cataclysm disappearing from his kitten's hand and the avalanche of questions and implications popping up on his head. The most pressing one being, What exactly did the power destroy?

Marinette decided that she couldn't stand the classes looks towards Adrien, that mix of ''I never knew he was like this'' and ''Mental sickness is a bitch''. Surprise, pity and some disgust. Chloe decided that the moment Lila started crying over Adrien's unstable attitude and how _scared_ she was sometimes, was best to barge in. Marinette used Chloe's involuntary distraction spell to grab Adrien and just get him out of the class, even if it was about to start. Alya and Nino followed.

They found a space under the stairs that was more or less hidden from the view of anyone not looking hard enough. The common space between classrooms was empty, classes about to start sucking the last people outside. Marinette noted Adrien was strangely calm now, he still looked upset, but he was not the trembling ball of anger he was just a moment ago. Huh.

''What was that dude? Did she really lie about those things or…? '' Started Nino, Marinette wanted to slap him for a wild second and then decided to just interrupt him before he finished that sentence, '' Lila is a liar, Nino, I've told you two before. She hated my guts and now she's onto Adrien too'' Alya and Nino just looked at each other, not really knowing what to think. Adrien snapped out of his pensive mood and joined his defense '' She's right, Lila is a liar and I'm done pretending otherwise''

''Girl, you really convinced him on this one didn't you? '' Alya half-whispered to Marinette, Adrien frowned. ''Yeah dude, honestly this joining Marinette's club of Jealousy of Lila Rossi is whatever, but you need to control that anger my man'' Nino said half joking. The DJ had never seen his friend that angry before, and the thought of that intensity hiding behind Adrien's model smile this whole time was a bit frightening to be honest.

Marinette was about to protest when Alya just shut her mouth with her hand and said instead '' You know what calms anger? Music! Right Nino? You had something to show Adrien this morning before all the drama, Didn't you?'' Nino started nodding as he searched briefly on his backpack for something. He got out a couple of headphones, completely different to what any of them had seen before, and put them on Adrien's head. The blond boy just stood in confusion for a moment until Nino put play on his phone and the music started. Adrien didn't want to let go of the subject, he wanted to actually join forces with Marinette and show everyone the witch that was Lila Rossi. But he decided to follow his own advice, and take the high road. He told her a while ago that that's what she should do when Marinette was Lila's primary target, Didn't he? He would be a hypocrite to not try that first himself.

''What are these? They sound amazing'' Adrien commented, and everyone visibly relaxed, including Marinette. She wanted her revenge on Lila, yes, but Adrien's well being and happiness came first. If talking about music was what he wanted to do now, so be it.

She learnt already that he preferred not to harm others even when they deserved it, so she would not push.

''Nino got a gig with this new music company, MXCK, they want him to test those for a while'' Said Alya pointing at the headphones, happy with the mood change. ''Yeah and after a week I got invited to this huge promotion event where I'll get to show my music and I just need to talk good about the headphones'' Nino was really excited now, drama forgotten. Adrien smiled at his friend, then worry showed on his face again ''But these are super important, Nino, you sure you want to trust them with me? I don't know anything about sound quality and all that stuff either, shouldn't you be wearing them?'' The pause Nino did before answering was more painful that any of Lila's words to Adrien, and Marinette could see the little wince flash for a moment on his face. ''Yeah no problem dude, I already tried them and I'm a 100% rating them the max possible, besides, you need them more than me now. Just return them to me before the weekend, alright?'' Nino didn't sound as sure of what he was saying as he would have liked, but his friend really looked like he needed to listen to sob break up music for a while, so he was happy to help. Adrien relaxed a bit, and thanked Nino before they started moving back to class. They would be a good 10 minutes late now, and Marinette missed her past self that would have worried about that instead of thinking about the sad blond walking up the stairs in front of her.

Neither of them noticed Lila Rossi scrambling up the stairs after listening to their whole conversation, and no one in class pointed out that she was also late.


	2. A villain's background

First period of classes that day went by with no more ''incidents''. Marinette, however, noticed that the mood on the whole classroom was heavy. People were whispering and looking at Adrien and Lila, with frowns to the first and looks of pity to the second. In any other situation regarding the lying little prick, Marinette would have been angry; But today she was worried. Adrien did not look good even before all this happened, and now, on top of sleepy and disheveled, he looked sad.

Marinette had all the intention of offering her company and support to the blond boy, but Alya had other plans for lunch. She practically dragged her out of her way towards Nino and Adrien, and had her sitting on a quiet corner of the cafeteria instead. Marinette looked at her friends eyes, no words needed for her to question her intentions.

''I just wanted to chat with you, that is all'' Answered the reporter, trying to sound nonchalant but Marinette could tell she had serious business in mind. She decided to bite the bullet and ask. ''Why can't we chat on our usual table with the boys?''

Alya paused for a moment and looked at Marinette in the eyes before saying. ''Have you ever thought that maybe Adrien is not as good as we thought he was?''

Did she really just ask that?

Alya must have seen something in her face because she immediately added ''I don't mean it that way! I mean, I know you will keep liking him, it's just… how do I put this… I think he has a lot of umm… background, to become someone way more err... unpleasant than what we see everyday''

Marinette couldn't believe what she was hearing, Was everyone under an akuma effect that made them want to cause drama today or something?. She shook her head and sighed, deciding to be mature for once and try to be patient with her friend and her new ''discovery''.

''You think Adrien might be akumatized?'' She tried to make her voice sound as neutral as possible, but the thought just added a new layer to her worries.

''Not... exactly. Look, he is a rich boy with a heart of gold, right?'' Marinette just nods at this. ''But his life isn't exactly easy, his schedule sucks, his father sucks and his mother went missing. And what he just showed us today? He just did a 180° and rejected a person he has had no problem being friendly with for a long time now. I know the topic of his mother might have triggered something in him, but Lila has been nothing but friendly with him and everyone'' Alya glared a bit at Marinette after saying this, as if trying to add unlike someone.

Marinette was just so over the Lila topic with Alya, she had tried to bring her friend to her side on it but gave up when the blogger just wouldn't even try to consider that all that came out of her mouth was bullshit. She was now buying that Adrien was friendly with her because he wanted to, something that Marinette knew from the beginning was not true. He was putting up with the liar because he didn't want to cause problems for anyone. At least that's what she thought until today, when he admitted that he was doing it to protect his friends. She would need to ask more about that later.

''Alya, what are you trying to say?'' She asked, resignated. ''Don't you think the comic book villain tropes are a bit unrealistic to use to judge your own friends?'' Marinette didn't even finish that sentence and Alya was shaking her head. ''It's not a stretch Marinette! we have heroes and villains in this city, and he has never even been Akumatized, for whatever reason. I know Hawkmoth has had plenty of material with that boy. He has acted so perfect in front of us all this time and now he acts out just because Lila mentioned his mom?''

Marinette couldn't really deny anything Alya was saying, that was the worst part of this whole conversation, maybe of this whole day. Adrien has never been Akumatized, he's always smiling even if its a little bit fake at times, he's calm and considerate and always kind to everyone, even to people like Chloe and Lila, until today, that is. And that last thing was what worried Marinette the most. Because Alya didn't know for sure what Marinette did, that Adrien was kind at heart and it was not just an act. But today the limit of that kindness was reached and while to everyone else, it might just mean it was never there in the first place, to Marinette it meant her crush was in serious need of some help.

''Are you listening to me?'' Alya asked, brining Marinette out of her thoughts. ''Yeah… yeah I am. It's just, I'm disappointed in you Alya. I think you should trust your closer friends first and start questioning the motives of the rest after, and you keep doing the opposite'' Said the designer with a cold calm that she never felt before. She might have decided to be patient with her best friend, Alya could question her against Lila. But Adrien was off limits, apparently.

''We joked about it a lot and used the word perfect to describe Adrien all the time, but I know he's not. That doesn't mean he's a bad person underneath. Everyone has the right to get angry'' Marinette finished, not wanting to continue the topic so she just started eating in front of a guilty looking Alya.

Adrien felt for the first time in his life that school was not a nice place to be at. He suddenly had an easier time empathising with every bullied character in any form of media ever. Getting glared at, listening to not so subtle whispers about your bad attitude and receiving passive-aggressive comments not nice. Not nice at all.

And it wasn't like every single student was against him, he knew that wasn't the case. His class was torn between the absolute believers of the Lila-god who now despised him for rejecting her love and her connection to his mother; And the a slightly more reasonable people that just pitied both of them, thinking they had a rough break up and that Adrien was just suffering from anger issues. Then there were his friends. Alya and Nino seemed to be part of the latter group, pitying him but being ''totally on your side, dude'' but not really understanding of the whole issue. Marinette was the only one who knew.

He noticed the worried glances she threw at him a couple times that day, she also seemed to have stopped talking to Alya after their talk on lunch break. He really hoped they werent fighting about him, feeling guilty as soon as that thought crossed his mind. Not every conversation and whisper that day had to be about himself.

But he couldn't really go to Marinette and start planning with her for a solution to his problems. He still remembered when she almost got kicked out of school because of Lila, which started his whole deal with her in the first place. He lectured Marinette on patience and on taking the high road, he was not gonna back on his own lessons (Specially since she was following them ever since) just because he tasted the Lila venom for the first time. Adrien told Plagg all of this once they were finally in his room, after bad luck decided he would have a photoshoot on top of everything that happened today.

''Sometimes it's good to let out a little emotion and destroy stuff, It's not that big of a deal and a very freeing experience'' Advised the tiny cat-god, floating around his head. Adrien was not blind, he knew the kwami was unusually worried about him, otherwise he would not be giving him anything remotely close to useful advice instead of munching on cheese.

''I'm ok Plagg, it would be really immature of me to cause the next disaster in human history just because i'm a little angry. Marinette has been on Lilas list far longer and she hasn't'' Adrien said mostly to calm Plagg. Why was it that he wanted understanding and company most of the time, but when he got someone worried for him he felt so guilty?

Plagg figured that if his charge was following Ladybugs lead on something, then it couldn't be a bad choice, right? That thing with his cataclysm earlier was just a fluke.

Adrien shivers a little once he's under the covers of his bed, his thoughts spiraling around the events of the day even though he just wanted to sleep. The sensation is weird, he feels cold but not the same as if he was outside on a snowy night. He felt as if the source was himself, his ring felt oddly warm in his hand. The blond felt a soft bump against his head and looked up, Plagg was floating on top of his head barely holding the headphones Nino lended him. Adrien smiled, feeling a bit silly for letting the bad of his day erase the good. He took the headphones and, after a couple relaxing songs, finally fell asleep.

Class is about to start when Adrien Agreste finally arrives. The chatter immediately turns down a notch and almost everyone looks awkwardly between Lila, who was on her seat and just now noticing the blonds presence after what looked like a crying session; And said blond boy, same white hoodie and purple bags under his eyes as yesterday. So perfect Agrese was not back, then.

Marinette was all for the comfortable hoodie, she knew her crush probably needed the change and it's not like it was hot outside. Today though, the hat was down and she could fully appreciate for the first time how Adrien's hair looked after waking up. Right after.

The resemblance to her hero parter was uncanny, and Marinette felt almost like a physical hit on the heart when she acknowledged it. That reminded her that she had patrol that night with Chat, and she instantly felt a pang of guilt. She was NOT happy with her recent realization that she might, maybe, just maybe, like two boys at the same time, that kind of stuff didn't fit with the image she had of herself in her head. So she decided to stop the thought train of ''I might have a type, and hair being in order is not a part of it'' and just stay on her seat and pretend to be writing something when Adrien started moving towards his seat.

He was not going to start this day easily though, as Lila was running down from her own desk and threw herself at him. The hug was so random that he did not react for a good while. ''I missed you! are you over your tantrum of yesterday my love?'' She said and he could hear the venom coming out. That was not a Lila that was trying to win him over again, this was just an act for anyone who might be looking. Adrien pushes her away, not too hard so she doesn't trip and ´´break her ankle´´ or something, but the rejection was obvious enough. She pouted and looked almost to tears again, and she went back to her seat silently.

Adrien, frowning now that his morning was tainted, took his seat trying his best to ignore the looks some were giving him after the scene. Nino was one of them. ''Dude, that was a little… crude… Anyways! did you try the headphones?'' You could always count on Nino to not care that much for drama, at least not enough to stop him from talking about music. Adrien smiles and says ''They were amazing, I used them yesterday and the sound is something else, I can't even describe it'' Nino was just nodding energetically ''I want to give them back to you though, after using them I realized it's just cruel to keep you from using them'' Adrien finished saying this as he was pulling the headphones from his bag and giving them back to the DJ. Nino's face dropped and with a low voice he said ''Is this a joke?''. Lila smiled from her seat.

''What?'' Asked the blond and Nino held the headphones in front of his eyes now, one of the sides completely disconnected from the rest. ''I knew I shouldn't have trust you with them, can't control a bit of anger, can you?'' Adrien's mind was blank until the light bulb turned on and he looked at lila at the back of the class, smiling. She did a little wave with her hands when her eyes connected with his. ''It was her!, she broke them just now while she-'' Adrien couldn't finish pinpointing Lila as the real culprit, because Nino started yelling ''It's one thing to be a total asshole to a girl and another to betray your bro! I can't believe you are like this Adrien, blaming your ex for your shit? come on dude! I'm in so much trouble now'' The last sentence was said less in explosive anger and more in pure despair, Nino stopped looking at Adrien's shocked face and started mumbling about the weekend event that he just ruined while burying his face on his arms.

''He's actually always like that, he likes to blame everyone for his shortcomings… I loved him anyways but I just can't help him maintain his perfect image anymore'' Commented Lila with such sadness, Adrien would have admire such an act if it wasn't for the fact that it was a weapon used against him right now. All his mind could muster at the moment was ''what?'' when Alya pushed him aside and sat on his seat next to Nino. She glared at him once and then started rubbing her boyfriends back while whispering kind things to his ear. Adrien considered sitting next to Marinette, her shocked face reflecting his own despair was kind of welcoming, but the alarm rang and his legs started moving on their own. He ran out of the classroom, past Mdme. Bustier, towards the boys bathrooms and he locked himself on an empty stall.

For a second he just sat there breathing, but then tears started coming out and he hid his face, not even wanting Plagg to see him cry. The Kwami came out of his bag and noticed how much his charge was trembling, and how his hand turned black entirely this time and black smoke started coming out again. Plagg just floats there, deciding what is the best thing he could say to calm his kitten down when, after a couple minutes, Adrien stops sobbing and shivering as if he was in the middle of a snowy mountain. The cataclysm disappears on its own again, Adrien lifts his head and leaves the bathroom stall to clean his face, the mirror reflecting a calmed expression on it.

This time Plagg knows exactly what Adrien just destroyed with his powers: His own emotions.


	3. They really need to talk

Marinette sits anxiously and alone, Alya taking now what was Adrien's spot besides Nino, who was not hiding his face anymore but still looked very upset.

She hates this, this whole situation is crushing her heart. She knows Adrien didn't break Ninos headphones but she's also sure that if she tries to defend him now she will just make things worse. Not to mention they are on class now, can't really do much except share glances with Alya, who seems to have only one worry now: Making Nino feel better.

Marinette starts fearing the worst. What if Adrien got akumatized right now? He never did before and she really really really didn't want to fight him. Specially knowing that even if he calmed down and felt better after being defeated, the problem won't just disappear. Lila is still here, her lies still stand, Adrien still looks like an unstable brute to most of the class, just like Marinette looked like a jealous fangirl when she tried to prove Lila wrong.

She just hopes her support to him is enough to make him feel better and, hey, maybe all this would become a new reason to bond closely with her crush. Marinette was debating in her mind whether to feel guilty or not about her hopefulness about all this when Adrien finally entered the class. Mme. Bustier threw a typical teacher tease about his late arrival but didn't punish him further and just told him to sit next to Marinette. The teacher was not there to see the drama, but she could smell tension between teenagers like it was a super power.

Marinette was grateful for the easy entrance her crush had, and for the fact that now that he was sitting beside her she could finally try to comfort him somehow.

As he sat down, however, Marinette instantly fell a chill looking at his face. He wouldn't look at her in the eye and his face was blank. He obviously tried his hardest to conceal the physical evidence that pointed out he had been crying, but other than that, she saw no clue in his expression of how he was feeling. This made her hesitate, but decided to slide him a quick note anyways. Just a little proposal to talk together after class.

Adrien looked at the note quickly then wrote a single word in reply: _Photoshoot_.

The heroine frowned but he just ignored her now, all his concentration on taking notes.

Marinette spent that whole afternoon class thinking, confused about Adrien's behavior. Why was it that the one rare chance she got to sit next to him for a whole period he's an ice statue that moves and takes notes? Nevermind that, what the heck happened to him? She was sure he cried when he went away, the puffiness on his eyes betrayed that much. But he acted as if nothing happened. Only almost at the end of the class he glanced at Nino for a moment and his expression finally showed something. A little frown, then continued working, still frowning. She officially had no idea what was inside Adrien Agreste's mind, and she was set on trying to talk to him after class anyways.

Too bad he didn't even give her the chance, disappearing into his limo as soon as the bells rang. Marinette's brows were hurting by the time she got home, frown deep and seemingly permanent now. Sabine and Tom noticed and asked how her day was, and she just told them that there was a fight between her friends but nothing they could do, she just wanted to be alone in her room now. They understood and just gave her a couple cookies and a pat on her shoulders.

''I don't get it Tikki, it's like he went to the bathroom, the toilet ate Adrien and someone else came out, but at the same time it looked like he was crying!'' She let her frustration out. Tikki floated out of her bag and grabbed one of the cookies ''I don't know Marinette, maybe he knows some really good relaxation methods?'' The tiny god suggested. Tikki really didn't know what was going on, but she was pretty sure Plagg did by now, she would have to break a couple rules maybe and ask him when she got the chance... when would that be was the bigger question. The god of creation knew by experience that Adrien's behavior was not good news, specially not when he held the power of destruction literally on his finger.

''Maybe I should visit him tonight as ladybug? I've never done that before but I can't think of any other way of talking to him right now… arghh but it's too suspicious!, How would ladybug know he needed to talk to someone? '' Marinette started rambling ''You have patrol with Chat Noir tonight Marinette'' The kwami reminded her. This just made the designer slap her face with both hands, she really wasn't in the mood to pretend that everything was fine to conceal her identity. She was really tired of concealing her identity, period. But that was another topic altogether.

''At least he won't get akumatized, right? I mean if this whole thing was what finally did it for him it would have already happened, right?'' She didn't sound so sure, and Tikki softly said ''It doesn't hurt to be prepared''

Marinette spends the next few hours trying to do her homework, work on her designs and even clean her room, but she just couldn't get Adrien out of her mind that easily, not even on a good day. ''I should have gone to his house as Marinette'' She sighed out, putting the pencil down for the 15th time on the last minute. Her personally collected statistics told her that she had almost no chance of going past the front door, but she should have tried anyways. ''Do you think his photoshoot is over by now?'' She asked, Tikki looked up from her spot on the tiny cushion on her desk and just shrugged. ''I don't know, but you have patrol soon, don't forget that Marinette'' Tikki insisted.

Tikki worried that Marinette might think her priority for her was just on being a responsible superhero, but they both knew not much happened on patrols usually. The truth was, Tikki wanted to check how Chat Noir was, after all he had a really crappy day.

Ladybug soared through the skies of Paris with her yoyo, looking for the specific rooftop she and Chat Noir used to meet up a couple nights a week. She found him sitting on it already, looking down the city as usual. She couldn't have seen how puffy his eyes were because of the mast, and she missed the little jump he did when she arrived next to him, as if he didn't detect her as he normally did.

''Hey kitty, did you wait too long?'' She asked, trying to sound as cheery as possible. Maybe a bit too much.

''H-hey My lady, how is your night?'' He didn't answer her question, so she just assumed it wasn't too long he was out there waiting for her. ''It's all right, shall we?'' She offers her hand so he stands up, then takes her yoyo out and starts moving. She didn't notice how he hesitated before following her as always.

They did their round and landed on the same rooftop they started, where they sometimes chatted or if they had stuff to do, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Tonight the cat hero wanted to chat, and he told her so. ''Hey, do you mind keeping me company for a bit? I… I had a bad day today at school and need some advice'' The word school put Ladybug on alert mode, she knew he was a student but they had an implied pact of not mentioning real life specific stuff, and it sounded like the conversation Chat wanted to have was one of those she just couldn't allow. Rules are rules. She sighed.

''Chaton, you know we shouldn't talk about that, you might give me too many clues of who you are or I might, just one little slip and we would know. You know that'' She also had a bad day at school, and could have used some advice too, but the stress of how that conversation would go with all the tiptoeing necessary to not reveal anything too important was so much, she was too tired for that right now.

Ladybug would never admit it, but she hated this particular rule of Master Fu a lot, but she also knew that if she gave just a little hint to Chat that she agreed with him on this matter he would end up convincing her that they should break the rules. She didn't want to get convinced, as illogical as that sounded. There was a primal thing in her that just didn't want to join her partner and unleash the ´´rules are stupid´´ sentiment. Who knows where that might end.

Chat Noir really wanted to talk to his lady, he needed it, even. But he saw her answer coming, he knew her that much. He knew his voice would betray him so he just nodded, looking away. Ladybug gave him a surprise hug, and he savored it for what it was. The conversation was over, and his lady was gone. Little Kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady. Shivering again.

Adrien knew it was stupid of him to stay so late on that rooftop, but he didn't want to move and deal with anything. He had to, though, and by the time he arrived at his room it was close to 3 in the morning. He still had school tomorrow, which for the first time was a dreaded thought, not a welcomed one.

The blond detransformed and stood there, Plagg coming out of the ring and floating next to his head. ''Kid, you need to rest'' he said, worry now very apparent on his voice. Adrien blinks slowly, his irritated eyes aching once they closed. The boy stood there for a bit, then his palms transformed into fists and both of them started smoking out black bubbles furiously as he opened his eyes with a deep frown. Plagg had no time to react before Adrien noticed his own hands and panics. ''W-what is going on? cataclysm? H-how-'' His anger vanished, replaced by cold and fear of his own powers. The black started creeping up from his hands towards his elbows, and Adrien let out a scream. ''Touch something!'' Said Plagg, and Adrien reacted quickly and before the shivers took control of him, he reached his desk chair and touched it with both hands. The piece of furniture transformed into ashes and then nothing, it didn't even leave a trail of dust or rust or any clue that it was there in the first place.

''What was that? '' Whispered a really tired Adrien, panting and still shivering a bit on the floor besides the spot where his chair used to be. ''Kid, you need to calm down, remember the powers that you hold. This whole situation sucks but you need to control it'' Plagg said. Adrien beathed a couple times, then said ''How could I have done that without being transformed, Plagg?'' The little god paused in the air for a bit, ''You have a bond with me, It's not just the suit now, it hasn't been for awhile. Same for Ladybug. But that doesn't matter now, the important thing you need to remember is that destruction is a power that needs to be harnessed and controlled, not let loose. ok kid? Never forget that'' Adrien nodded ''I'll calm down, control my emotions just as I've learnt to do all these years''

Plagg wasn't even sure emotions were the real problem here, but he said nothing as Adrien stood up and went to the bathroom. He heard the shower running. By the time his kitty was out of the now steaming bathroom, birds were already singing and light coming in to the room. Adrien came out not on pijamas or a towel, but fully dressed. ''No sleep? Kid you need to rest, maybe pretend you are sick or something'' Plagg didn't even bother now to pretend he didn't care. Adrien shook his head.

''It's ok, It's two more days and then the weekend, I also don't have a photoshoot today, I can catch up'' He smiled, a bright, kind, and extremely fake smile.

''Hey Alya, don't you think Adrien is acting strange today?'' Marinette whispered to her best friend, seated again beside her. Class already started and no member of their little group talked before it did save for some stiff hello's. Nino was seating with Adrien again, but he kept his head low and ignored him, while also keeping himself as far away from the model as possible, as if he might burn. Adrien looked somewhat fresh again, as if nothing happened yesterday. And that was the weird thing, he was being too friendly for someone in his situation, she saw him greeting Kim in the morning with a bright smile and when the athlete answered awkwardly and then almost ran away, Adrien didn't even flinch. The word drugs flashed on Marinette's mind for a wild second, and she laughed at the thought.

But it was definitely weird. She came this morning prepared to do her best in showing support for her friend, and now she felt disarmed and confused. Again.

Alya ignored her question, after sending her a brief glance. Marinette sighed. So Alya was taking Nino's side and still not believing anything she or Adrien had to say about Lila's actions. Ok. The designer gave up for now, deciding to take Tikki's advice to heart and be prepared for Akumatizations today.

The day went by at school and no one talked to anyone, the fact that there were no more incidents with Lila was the only thing Marinette was grateful for. They really needed to solve this soon, but before she started making plans of reconciliation between her friends, she decided to visit Master Fu. Maybe he had something to say about all this.

''So you think this friend of yours is having a rough time, and might get akumatized soon?'' Master Fu summarized after she explained most of the situation without mentioning Adrien was the friend she was talking about. She remembered he told her to trust him with everything after she lied about thinking Adrien might be Hawkmoth that one time, but it was precisely the shame of knowing her crush was not a particularly objective topic for her that she left out his name this time. She wanted him to take this issue seriously, and not just an overly attached fangirl or something. Marinette was getting really tired of that treatment.

''I don't know for sure Master, but my friend is acting very strange and I know that I would get Akumatized if I had all those things piled up'' She almost did a couple times, in fact.

''Preventing Akumas is not part of the job exactly, or you would never rest'' He chuckled softly, she managed a small smile, the image of her and Chat Noir consoling every single soul in paris just so they wouldn't become Hawkmoths victims. ''But as a guardian on training, I think you should make your own choices sooner rather than later, Marinette. What would you do, as Ladybug, to prevent your friend from getting Akumatized?'' He asked.

The question was frustratingly old for Marinette by now, she's been trying to solve this very issue this whole time with no good ideas or results. But she realized she was trying to find a solution mostly as Marinette, even when she thought she could pay a visit to Adrien as Ladybug, it was a very civilian way of solving the problem. She needed to think of a solution that a hero that didn't know or feel anything for Adrien Agreste would come up with.

''I think I need to tell Chat Noir about this first'' She said after some hesitation. She was entering dangerous territory with Master Fu, identity territory. ''He is my other half, and if I know something bad is about to happen he needs to know'' Master Fu looked thoughtful, but then nodded softly.

''It's a good start, Marinette'' He just said. The heroine was not entirely sure, but maybe Master Fu was implying that identities didn't matter in the wake of a bigger threat? She hated thinking of Adrien as such, but the idea of finally being able to ask her partner for advice and much needed comfort was very alluring.

''I can't help but thinking he's using this situation as a test, and I hate it'' Said Marinette, after getting out of Master Fu's shop/house and making sure no one was around. Tikki peeked out of her bag to answer ''Maybe he just told you that because he doesn't know what to do, he's still human after all'' Offered the Kwami. ''You said it once too, Marinette. Master Fu is really paranoid and he has been doing his best to avoid problems, instead of fighting them on like you want to do with this'' That made a lot of sense. Marinette frowned.

''Chat Noir also needed to talk to me yesterday and I couldn't. I need to find him'' The designer didn't complete the sentence out loud, but she was about to add: _Screw our identities, we need to talk. _


	4. Destruction's awakening

Plagg pretends he's rummaging Adriens cabinets looking for cheese when he is, in fact, looking at his kitten. The boy is on his bed laying on his back, he's been there for the past thirty or so minutes since his arrival. His right hand is up, Adrien looking at it like it doesn't belong to him. Plagg actually finds something to eat and puts it on his mouth when Adrien very quietly says: ''I should stop being Chat Noir''

The Kwami starts choking on his cheese, ''W-what? Adrien you are the best Chat Noir this city could hope for, you can't just give up like that just because of some liar'' You knew things were serious when Plagg called Adrien by his name instead of referring to him as ´´kitten´´ or ´´kid´´. That actually wiped the boys sad look away for a moment as he looked at the mini god in awe. ''I'm unstable Plagg, and I don't trust myself to control cataclysm much longer. Today was a disaster! I tried to be calm, I did all the smiling I could but everyone just kept looking at me weird and of course they would! I just made things worse, now Marinette probably thinks I'm a freak and Nino and Alya won't ever talk to me again and even Chloe- '' Plagg decided to interrupt his charge there. ''Kid, I'm not gonna lie, I think those smiles were a little creepy. But it was just one day of mistakes out of years of protecting this city. Paris and Ladybug need you and if you have to destroy a couple chairs to keep doing it I say screw furniture!'' Adrien was back to not being sure of how serious the kwami really was. He really didn't think himself as invaluable. Even Ladybug was a good Chat Noir after a couple minutes with the powers once, anyone could replace him.

''Nathalie is going to start questioning why stuff keeps disappearing… this is bad plagg! you know I didn't just destroy furniture! And it wasn't even on purpose! I need to go to Master Fu''

He stood up, not listening to anything else the kwami had to say. Plagg probably wanted to stay with him because he was rich and could afford a lot of expensive stinky cheese. But it was just irresponsible to keep his powers right now.

''Think of Ladybug, how are you going to see her again if you are not Chat Noir?'' Wow, low blow Plagg, Adrien thought. He was right, of course. If he gave up being Chat, he would give up on his lady too. For some reason Marinette's face flashed on his mind for a second, and he felt a pang of guilt. He really was gonna end up being that typical playboy model that just liked any girl with similar features, was he huh? Marinette really didn't deserve that.

The brief stop he did before going out ended, Adrien made up his mind. He was sure going to Master Fu right now to give back his miraculous was the right choice, no matter how painful it was.

Then the Akuma alarm started alerting all of Paris of a new threat, and he stopped on his run to Master Fu's.

''One more time, I guess'' He whispered before transforming and jumping on the rooftops of Paris.

Marinette didn't even get a couple blocks away from Master Fu's place when she heard the alarm. She decided to be positive though, this would make it easier to talk to Chat Noir right away.

Ladybug arrives at the scene where the Akuma has been breaking everything around him. Chat Noir lands beside her before she could see much more, and she's about to greet him when she sees him.

He looks terribly pale, looking at the Akuma with a horrified expression on his face. Scared, she wonders what was affecting him so much but before any other clue about this Akuma revealed her anything, he spoke.

''Everyone will hear my music now, one way or the other!''

It was Nino's voice coming out of a man with giant speaker for hands. A pair of broken headphones were on his neck.

And then everything clicked on Ladybug's head. She looked at Chat Noir now and didn't just see her beloved partner in distress, she saw her friend and crush, Adrien Agreste, guilty and terrified of fighting his own friend for the second time in a week. Chat started trembling and backing out, and she heard a tiny ''I can't do this'' coming from him while he kept looking at Nino.

The Akuma had no mercy, however, and he just pointed his giant speaker-hands at them and blasted music out. Ladybug barely grabbed Chat and got them both out of the way with her yoyo. She landed on a rooftop away from Nino's gaze, for now.

Ladybug places both her hands on her partners trembling shoulders and forces him to look at her ''Chat, I need you to snap out of it, I know it's hard but I really could use my pawrtner right now'' She tries to smile to reassure him, but he's still out of it, looking at her with downcast eyes. His face reminded her of the dead expression Chat Blanc had sometimes in their fight, on that reality that never was. The sudden realization that this was Adrien hit her hard, but she had not time to dwell on the ramifications of her recent discovery. They had an Akuma to defeat.

Ladybug took Chat's shoulders and pulled him close to her, a hug similar to the one they had last night when she didn't listen to him. This time though, a soft pink light came out of their hugging forms, noticeable only because the sun was setting and the day wasn't as bright as a couple minutes ago. The black clad hero finally snapped out of it, and looked at his partner after slowly pulling out of her embrace.

''Let's help Nino''She said to him, Chat still looks extremely sad, she noticed, but at least he was responsive.

The fight was over in no time, the Akuma was not tricky enough to give trouble to the duo.

Ladybug purified the butterfly and ´´healed´´ Paris from the damage the DJ caused in his rage. She wanted to Pound it with her partner and finally have some sense of normalcy and talk to him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Worried, Ladybug looked around and instead of finding her partner she heard a comment from Nino that made her stop on her tracks.

''Sorry babe I just, I still can't believe Adrien would do that to me and then act like nothing happened… This event might have been my future… I can't trust my best friend anymore'' He was saying to Alya, who apparently had been there, recording everything.

Neither noticed Ladybug, who was frozen while finally realizing what was wrong with Adrien: He needed people to trust in him. And she needed to show him she does, fast. She's forced to de-transform on an alley and then starts running towards the Agreste mansion, hoping to find him there.

Chat Noir stopped leaping across Paris, landed on a deserted alley and after slowly walking for a couple meters, he de-transformed. He's shaking violently and his knees land on the pavement, legs not being able to hold him up any longer.

''Adrien!'' Yells Plagg, who just came out of the ring and was floating around him on a frantic pattern.

''Nino… Nino got Akumatized again because of me'' He panted, breaths shallow and sweat on his forehead ''Ladybug doesn't trust me'' Plagg wanted to ask how he came to that conclusion, but Adrien collapsed on the floor, hugging himself with black hands. It was happening again. ''She doesn't w-want me to know her identity and won't even t-tell me the other heroes names. Nino won't ever talk to me again, n-neither will Alya- Ma-Marinette… S-she's …'' A violent coughing fit interrupted him, then he didn't talk anymore.

''Kid?'' Asked Plagg in a tiny voice. He got no answer. Adrien was coughing and groaning on the floor of a random Paris alley, destruction's full power consuming him.

Ladybug leaped across Paris, towards one open window on a very familiar mansion. She entered the room and called Adrien's name, but her gut told her he wasn't there.

She decided to go to Master Fu's place, both to look for her partner and to tell the guardian what she knew. On her way there, she had to stop herself from freaking out, knowing what she now knew. Adrien Agreste, her long time crush and friend, was Chat Noir, her long time friend and crush. She knew that if she continued thinking about this without talking to him first she would go crazy, so many things to consider, good, bad, embarrassing and outright ridiculous. Just too much.

''I know who Chat Noir is'' Is the first thing to come out of Marinette's mouth as soon as the guardian opens his door. She enters the room and doesn't even greet him. He calmly sits on one of the cushions on the floor and signals for her to do the same, she hesitates at first, heart racing too hard to just sit, but in the end she complies.

''I see. What will you do with this knowledge, Marinette? '' He asks, and Marinette thinks how done she is with his bullshit. He knew this whole time and just toyed with her. With them.

She took a couple long breaths, she knew anger would not help anyone right now.

''I will tell him, of course'' She answered with a hint of defiance in her voice. Eyes firm on his. The guardian raised his eyebrows and said ''And you will do that because he turned out to be your lover and you want him to love Marinette back, or is there any other reason?''

''Enough with the tests! I do love him, and I know he loves me too! I would be lying if I said I didn't want this whole identity crap to be done because of that, but it's also because Adrien is in danger! The friend I told you the other day about is him, he's been suffering in silence these past couple days and I helped to make it worse because of this shit!'' She made a wide gesture with her arms when she said that last part, pointing at the whole shop.

Marinette expected Master Fu to get angry at her outburst, but instead he paled.

''How long?'' The guardian asks in a whisper. ''How long has he been acting strange?'' Marinette relaxes a bit, he's finally taking her seriously. ''Depends on how strange we are talking about… His schedule and father seemed to have gotten even more strict since a couple months ago, and this whole week he went to school looking like he didn't sleep well… But these last couple of day's have been terrible, he probably thinks everyone hates him now, and it's all Lila! '' She gritted her teeth just mentioning that name. Master Fu's eyes open increasingly more as she says this. ''We need to find him as soon as possible, Marinette!, we can't let destruction get to him!''

''What do you mean?'' She questions him, and he shakes his head ''It's a long story, I'll tell you later. Chat Noir's powers might be unstable now because of all this, and it's my fault, you need to find him now!'' He said, speaking fast for the first time Marinette could remember, while standing up. He opened the front door. It would have looked like a comical scene of an old man kicking her out of his home if she didn't know the gravity of the situation. She stood up.

''Master!'' They both hear a tiny voice from outside, getting closer as he screamed. Plagg came flying from the door Fu was holding open. ''He needs help! my kitten!'' The tiny god was about to continue talking until he saw Marinette.

''I already know who he is, where is he?'' She said, firm. ''I'll take you there, hurry!'' And as soon as he was in, the kwami was out. Marinette transformed and followed him.

''Bring him here!'' Ladybug heard the master scream at her while she leaped out, following the tiny but fast cat.

The alleys on that sector of Paris were empty save for some cats and a shady person or two. None of them noticed the blond boy curled up by one tall wall, shadowed by the buildings surrounding him. The sun was down and Adrien Agreste was barely conscious now, moaning quietly while the black on his hands was covering almost his whole arms now, sending a shiver towards the core of his being. He used his remaining energy to call for his kwami, the only being left on earth that might still care for him. No response.

Adrien tried to raise himself up enough to look around for Plagg, so he put his hands on the floor to support himself. It hurt tremendously at the beginning and that wasn't even the worst. The pure black continued to expand, now almost reaching his neck, and the moment both his hands touched the pavement, the earth shattered and the world started shaking, as if coordinating with his own spasms.

Ladybug felt the earth trembling even as she practically flew around following Plagg. The kwami stopped for a second and then he seemed to be absorbed towards one of the alleys below, the same way Tikki got inside her ring everytime she transformed. She followed the fast moving blur that was Plagg and what she found was not Adrien nor Chat Noir.

The creature was a black shadow, similar in shape and size to her partner, but posing like a feral beast as he was, smoke coming out of him forming a long tail and ears, and neon green eyes shining as if they were made of pure light, this looked nothing like her beloved Chat Noir. This was Destruction.

The sound surrounding the creature was a weird electric hum, as if there was static or interference between her position and his. He saw her and suddenly stopped hunching like a beast and stood up slowly, each step he made towards her annihilating the bricks and the pavement under. She recoiled back, fear getting ahold of her body for a second. This was still her partner! She thought, and stopped backing away from his now still form.

''Chaton… Adrien, we can still fix this, let's go to Master Fu so we can help you control this'' She tried, but he wasn't listening to her, in fact he was no longer even looking at her, something, or someone caught the attention of his senses. Ladybug wasn't sure he understood words anymore or if he was just functioning on instincts now.

Destruction sniffed the air a couple times then leaped up, and as he did the floor crumbled down, catacombs visible now under the moonlight. She followed him the best she could, but every time he landed on a rooftop or touched a chimney, they disappeared. It wasn't even the good old recognizable Cataclysm rust that always remained after Chat Noir used his powers. It was just a bit of dust, and then even that vanished after a second. Like he was corrosive. And he made no sound, only the disaster of each of his steps registered on Ladybug's ears, as if he had an aura around him where reality could not sustain itself.

Terrified, she followed him from a distance until he entered a particular room on one of the apartment houses.

Lila Rossi screams as she sees what looks like a smoking black panther-humanoid enter her room and starts preparing for a leap, looking at her with the pools of toxic green that replaced his eyes. She starts coughing, unable to keep screaming, air on her own room starting to feel as if she was up on the Everest instead.

Ladybug followed inside as soon as she arrived, gulping down her own fears after hearing the feminine scream coming from the room. She recognized Lila immediately, and a very petty and very unheroic part of her considered just watching what Destruction would do to her. But she didn't need much imagination to figure that out, this was Adrien after all. That gave her the courage to leap in between the two right before Destruction touches Lila and ends her for good.

Lila didn't stay to watch as Ladybug hugged what she now recognized was probably Chat Noir, she left the room to be able to breathe as soon as the attention of the monster was no longer on her.

Ladybug felt pain, and energy flowing through her. She closed her eyes and kept hugging her partner, the room's furniture spiraling around them slowly, as if suspended on water. The floor of the room where Destruction stood was intact, but all the surroundings of his presence was half-dissolved into nothingness. Pink light started coming out of the heroine as she held him, and everything went still at the same time. The furniture landed hard on the remains of the floor, some of it down on the room below them. Adrien Agreste was now limp on her tired arms, and the relief she felt at seeing his sleeping face was the best she had felt in a while.

Marinette noticed she was no longer transformed either, and that both kwamis were unconscious near them. Not letting go of Adrien, she quickly picked both gods and put them in her bag. She then grabbed her unconcious crush best she could and limped out of Lila's house as fast as she her tired legs allowed her towards Master Fu's place, trying her best to not be seen by anyone on the way.

Adrien coughs a couple times on her way there and is still shivering and breathing superficially, so Marinette knew that this wasn't over yet.

But at least they were together now.


	5. Hugs and truths

By the time Marinette arrived at Master Fu's place,she had no strength left to even knock on the door properly. Adrien might have been a model on the skinny side, and Marinette might have been a superhero, but after the day's ordeals she felt all his weight pressing her down each step. It didn't help that he was completely limp, not even holding on to her, and that she had to move quickly or risk getting seen.

Thankfully Master Fu was waiting and he must have heard her outside his door, because he opened the small shop before she could attempt a second knock, and helped them both get in.

''In here, Marinette'' He said pointing at a futon on the floor, his voice full of urgency. They both worked on making sure Adrien was somewhat comfortable on the bed, he had grown quite a bit on the past year and his feet were almost out of the mattresses, Marinette noted absently.

''Master…'' She whispers, but tears interrupt whatever she was about to say. She sits on a cushion besides Adrien, both of her hands covering her face, and she starts sobbing. She was so, so tired. Seeing her partner, friend and crush unconscious, barely breathing and sweating with fever was hard. She calmed down after Master Fu put one of his hands on her back, not saying anything first. They sit there in silence for a bit, Adrien frowned while he slept and Marinette imitated his expression, then muttered quietly ''He's in pain still.. What can I do my Chaton?''

''The worst has been avoided thanks to you, Marinette'' Master Fu said, his voice sounding extremely guilty. ''He didn't do anything he would regret, right?'' He asked and Marinette shook her head. ''He wanted to, but I stopped him somehow… Master what was that? He turned into some kind of… '' She stopped, not really wanting to say the word ´´monster´´ to describe her partner. ´´Some kind of pure form of power. I dont know how to describe it, it was like Destruction itself took control of him and Plagg, it was neither of them I'm sure''

''You are correct, this has happened before, that was the essence of Destruction utilizing Adrien's body, emotions and lack of control'' He said, Marinette frowned deeper, if that was even possible. ''Why would you give such a thing to… to someone with Adrien's life! Shit has been happening to him since before Hawkmoth appeared! This was bound to happen!''

''It's precisely because Adrien has had such a life that he is perfect for this miraculous. Not a lot of people can be kind and fair when they are constantly in the presence of shadows. Only someone that knows how destruction feels can control it properly''Anger quickly drained, Marinette felt guilty for not even thinking of any of this before. Before Alya suggested that Adrien had a ''villain's background'' type of life, she hadn't truly appreciated how strong her partner really was. Then add the fact that he was not just Adrien Agreste, sunshine boy of infinite patience, but also Chat Noir, hero of Paris.

''What can we do to prevent this from happening again?'' She asked, and wondered in her head what would it require for this to happen to her.

''You were right about what Chat Noir needed from you, trust'' The Master said, the implication of that clear to Marinette without the need of him mentioning it out loud: I was wrong about not letting you trust him with your identity.

They both agree without even saying it that Marinette needs to rest, but before she dozes off on the futon Fu starts preparing for her next to Adrien, she calls her parents and tells them that she's staying at Alya's. Marinette realizes she can do that not because she's super lucky or anything, but because her parents trust her. She felt extremely guilty after that thought, both because she broke that trust and because she now understands on a smaller lever what it must have been for Adrien these last couple days, thinking that he lost this privilege with everyone on his life.

Right before Master Fu leaves the room, Marinette asks him what will happen to Tikki and Plagg. Both Kwamis were now sleeping on a cushion between their holders.

''They used a great amount of power, but will wake up sooner rather than later, and will need a lot of food, as will Adrien Agreste'' Wayzz answers this instead of the guardian, who just nods with a little smile then finally leaves. Marinette feels a bit better, thinking this might be the beginning of finally putting everything in order again, then falls asleep.

Alya Césaire is at her boyfriend's room that night, both their parents didn't question them after Nino transformed into an Akuma, they just let them spend the night together on the tacit agreement that it was for moral support, nothing else. Any other night Alya might have joked endlessly with her boyfriend about how innocent their parents were, but this time they were actually watching her footage from the fight and just quietly keeping company. She had to edit a video for the ladyblog, and Nino insisted on watching it too, showing a lot more interest on his girlfriends work than usual. No surprise there though, considering the Akuma was himself.

Instead of being fascinated by seeing this strange version of himself, powerful and out of control, Nino was mad guilty. Some people think that being transformed into an Akuma was some sort of cathartic experience, that whatever problem you had that prompted the transformation was forgotten just like the fight itself. Most Akuma victims would disagree. Yeah, a majority calmed down after seeing the consequences of anger unleashed, and how futile and counterproductive it really was. But the problem was still there. Most people also used the chance to talk to a superhero and the short spotlight they were in to find solutions and compromises to their situations right after the attacks, but this was not the case for Nino today.

He was still mad at Adrien, but guilt was growing stronger each hour he missed not even being able to talk things out with his best friend. He could have called, of course, but Adrien's attitude of the day- The fake smiling and lack of acknowledge of any tension between the two- made him doubt. And he doubted and doubted until it was 1 AM and it became too late to call anyone that had school the next day and a busy schedule. He and Alya didn't care much, both decided earlier that, since it was friday, they would just catch sleep after school on the weekend, specially now that the music event was a dream of the past.

''You know, that frown is gonna be permanent if you keep it up'' Alya commented, pausing her editing to look at her boyfriend. ''You can talk to him tomorrow'' She added with a softer tone.

''It's just so weird babe, he was never this… cold and careless before'' He said for the fifth time of the day probably. ''I know I know… He had been acting strange the whole week, to be honest'' Alya replied. ''Maybe it was his relationship with Lila stressing him out? Maybe she was super demanding and nagged him a lot'' She joked. Alya didn't really know Lila enough to tell how she would be on private, they never even had a one on one conversation.

Nino got quiet after hearing that, frown deepened if that was even possible. ''You know, I was too angry and distracted by the event to realize this, but Adrien never really mentioned liking Lila, at least not that way, you know, as a potential girlfriend'' He said, then slowly added: ''But Lila made it sound as if their relationship was not new, just not official… I don't know if I should feel even more betrayed by Adrien because he didn't tell me anything at all or…''

''Or maybe Lila was not being honest about her relationship with him? Babe that is a bit of a stretch isn't it? It's more plausible that he just isn't the type of person to talk about that stuff than to think that Lila would lie like that… I don't think I could trust anyone with such malice with anything, I mean what else could she be lying about if…'' Alya stopped, stunned. Nino reacted the same way, eyes wide open.

They both looked at each other, Alya covered her mouth with one hand, then whispers ''We are terrible friends… aren't we?''

Nino nods then starts moving with sudden determination, grabs his phone with the obvious intention of calling Adrien immediately. Alya takes it from his hands and says ''Babe, wait. We need proof… for real this time. Either confirm or deny everything that Lila has said, gosh! Marinette is going to kill me… I'm supposed to be a journalist! a detective! What kind of investigator doesnt at least look up what the new girl says when her bestie tells her it's all bullshit?!'' Thinking about Marinette made tears flow fast, guilt and shame invading Alya's brain in waves. She feels Nino's arms around her.

''It's like you said, babe. we need to look this up first, we don't want to make the same mistake again, right?'' He smiles at her, Alya wipes her tears and focuses on her laptop again, video editing forgotten in favor of a bunch of social media, the ladyblog and good old google.

''Let's start with the basics, shall we?''

Adrien slowly opens his eyes in darkness. The first thing he realizes is that he is not in his room, or alternatively, laying on the hard pavement of a Parisian alley.

A little bit of light coming in from the window, he's about to panic wondering about his whereabouts when he notices Marinette's figure sleeping next to him. Confused, he tried to remember what was the last thing that happened before waking up on his present predicament; The cat hero tries to sit up, but it requires a huge amount of effort and the pain he feels in all his body as he moves helps him remember most of it. The cold floor, the self pity, the black smoke coming from his hands.

Adrien looks at his hands and, even though its dark, he can clearly see that his nails are black. Not good, he thinks. Marinette Dupain-Cheng sleeps soundlessly, and on a cushion between them both, black and red blobs. Plagg. And the other one, Tikki?, Ladybug's Kwami. He has no time to put two and two together because Marinette shifts, startling him.

''Kitty?'' She whispers, pushing herself up with both arms and then rubbing her sleepy eyes. If Adrien wasn't paralized by his own thoughts he would have melted at the sight.

As soon as Marinette realizes that Adrien is fully awake, she ignores his startled cat look (Even his hair was up, so cute) and hugs him tightly. Now Adrien melts.

''Marinette… What is going on? Where are we?'' He had a rapidly growing list of questions, but decides to start with those two. She lets him go and smiles at him warmly, eyes wet. ''I'm so glad you are ok Kitty- I mean Adrien! I-'' She utters, word vomit interrupted by Adrien whispering ''I'm so glad it's you, Bugaboo'' And hugging her again.

They stay like that for a longer time now, and while Adrien feels completely at peace for a good moment there, Marinette's mind starts to crumble like the old times. ''You are? I mean, no! '' They separate and she continues after shaking her head, holding his shoulders ''I'm so sorry! NOT because I'm you and you are me I mean I'm me and you are you! I'm glad we are we… argh!...'' She breathes in, then out '' What I mean to say, Kitty, is that I'm so sorry for not listening to you earlier when you needed my help'' Adrien is left stunned, seeing for the first time his princess and his lady mixing up onto the same person in one single sentence. He can't help but grin.

''It's alright, I know how annoying I got sometimes, specially with the whole identity thing-'' He gets interrupted by a loud ''NO! That's the thing!, I was wrong to let this be a secret for so long, you needed me and I wasn't there for you because of my insecurities…'' Chat Blanc's face flashes on her mind for a second '' I don't want secrets between us anymore, I'm still scared of the consequences, but I think- No, I know this is the best, now'' Exhaling after her little speech, the heroine smiles at her partner again.

''I'm not sure I understand all the implications of what you just said, my lady, but I-'' He couldn't finish his sentence again, this time because of a coughing fit.

The sudden pain and cold that attacks Adrien in that moment is enough to make him double down on the bed, both arms on his stomach even though the problem wasn't really coming from there specifically. ''Adrien!'' He hears his lady calling him, her tiny but comfortingly warm hand on his back. Minutes pass and the pain stops, leaving the blond shivering and panting, looking down at his black nails. Marinette notices them for the first time, skylight making its way in slowly but surely.

''Marinette… What is happening to me?'' He whispered, still as a statue and not looking at her, as if preparing for another pain wave.

Still looking at his hands, she says quietly '' I don't understand it entirely but... your powers… umm… You are losing control over them because of all that has happened lately'' She doesn't sound very confident, but he knows it's because she hates delivering the bad news, and not because they are untrue.

''But I'm better now! I have you by my side which is all I really need. I don't feel desperate to erase my emotions anymore, Why am I not back in control?'' He now looks at his lady in the eyes, searching for answers she doesn't have.

''Because, Chat Noir, the miraculous powers are not that simple'' Says Master Fu, entering the room suddenly. He obviously heard at least part of their conversation. ''Destruction is one half of a whole, it's not just about eliminating what it exists, it's also about adaptation and change. Look at what it did to your relationships in just two days!'' That last part he said it on a lighter tone, earning a nervous chuckle from Adrien. Marinette looked annoyed, however. ''His powers are not what caused Lila to be such a brat'' This made Adrien actually snicker for real.

''Ahh! but she did use destruction!, The black Cat's miraculous might be the representation of Destruction, but that doesn't exclude others from manifesting his powers on their own means. It's part of human existence, and so is Creation'' Master Fu smiled at Marinette and Adrien's thoughtful looks, digesting what he just said. It didn't last too long, though, Marinette had problems to solve after all. ''But what does Adrien need to do to be back in control?'' She asks, and Master Fu locks his serious eyes with the blond boy.

''I don't trust myself… anymore'' Adrien whispers after a pause, and the guardian nods. ''I chose you, Adrien Agreste, because you are able to withstand incredible pressure and loneliness, darkness surrounded you already when I gave you the black cat's miraculous'' He says. Marinette hugs Adrien once again after hearing this, and stays there.

''You are used to pain, but these last couple of days broke a limit for you. Never once before, not even when you lost your mother, or your love rejected you, you doubted yourself as much as you do now. You never blamed yourself like this before, am I right?'' Adrien nodded ''Since you had no trust in yourself anymore, that left Destruction as your only resource to deal with your problems. You started destroying to keep from adapting, making a contradiction between you and the powers you wield, breaking balance''

While the guardian was saying this, Marinette thought of the times she used her own powers to solve mundane problems. It was a weird contradiction: Her powers meant creating solutions, but when their advantage made her lazy, and therefore less creative, balance broke too. She remembered Chat Blanc again. She always felt like her life was a lesson on ´´Don't take the easy road´´ but with the added weight of having said easy road in the form of magic earrings at her disposal.

''This will pass, as you understand this and regain your confidence alongside your Ladybug, the pain will stop. But some effects will be permanent'' Master Fu ended solemnly. Adrien and Marinette looked at the blond's hands. So those were a feature now, huh?

Master Fu smiles again at the heroes, still inwardly ashamed of his part on this disaster, but proud of them nonetheless. Their problems were by no means over, but he was confident on his choice more than ever. ''It's about to be time for school, and you two still have a lot to deal with I'm sure, but first, breakfast?''

Worry still apparent on their faces, Marinette and Adrien smile despite it and nod at the same time. Food sounded real good.


	6. Still a hero

The fire department's trucks and people were outside her house, after a long night of making sure no fire would spread and the danger was gone. Lila hugged her mother, who came back after hearing about what happened to her house from a colleague. Her daughter apparently spent hours alone on a destroyed house after an explosion took most of her room out, not calling for help and not wanting to move from the couch on the living room. Mdme. Rossi decided she needed to have a long talk with her daughter about safety and proper protocols for such situations.

Lila, after finally looking at what was left of her room once people arrived at the scene, woke up from her shocked state. The first thing she did was mentally scold herself for her stupid reaction to the whole thing. She was extremely scared, yes, but she should have used her free hours to plan what was best to do from now on. Now it was morning and her mother left again, leaving one of her employees to prepare her breakfast on the kitchen below. School would start in a couple hours but she had, for the first time actually, a pretty good excuse to not go.

Lila sat alone on the border of what was her room, legs hanging down to the guest room below. She started laughing, softly first then louder and louder. The person in the kitchen did his best to ignore it.

''So this is how it's gonna be, huh?'' She uttered after she calmed down.

Chat Noir had attacked her on her own home, for no apparent reason. Ladybug came in just in time to prevent what she was sure was a deadly blow. Lila was used to having some enemies, she wasn't stupid, her lies weren't always perfect and some people didn't even like the persona she put up for them in the first place. Most of those people suffered under her control of the crowds and the situations, but some retaliated.

When she was ten, a girl discovered she was lying and decided to confront her in front of everyone, when that failed she hit her head with a bat. Lila remembered this fondly, as it was the first time she had an enemy made not from her own failure to become the most charming person in the room, but because the girl in question was a paranoid idiot that decided to fact check her lies for some reason.

Now Lila was more prepared, usually. She had backup excuses and reasons for possible rebuttals of anything she said in public. Normally nobody bothered to go beyond confronting her anymore. Except for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who, for what was still a mystery to her, refused to believe anything Lila said since they met. A pity really, Lila could use a friend who was good at designing clothes and had a bakery.

But now it was not about friendships, reputation or free stuff. Her life was threatened again, and she had no idea why. The confusion was in part why she was paralyzed for hours that night, but she had to be honest for a change and admit that the experience was the scariest of her life so far. She was terrified. A monster entered her room, and without words of warning, almost made her disappear like half her house did.

The monster was Chat Noir, she was certain of that at least. They were similar in some aspects, and Ladybugs presence confirmed it. Lila got up and kicked a destroyed piece of unrecognizable furniture down the hole in her bedroom. The wood splitting as it crashed on the bottom was satisfying, but instead of calming her down she wanted to kick some more. So she did, getting more frustrated as she continued. Then she called a name.

''Hawkmoth!''

Gabriel Agreste's week long headache was getting worse. He thought it was his normal workaholic migraine, but even that one subdued when he took proper measures to relax a bit. The last couple of days, he had to make an even bigger effort to be away from people, their emotions invading him in waves when anyone was near. Now they didn't even need to be in the same room. He could not just feel the strongest of emotions that would be perfect for an akuma, now everything came in, all the distress, the joy, the anger, everything mixed in Gabriel's soul. It was like the people of Paris entered a blender, came out as a nice juice of humanity and he just drank it, not being able to stop tasting it ever since.

It was the moth miraculous, of course. Gabriel knew what was causing this, but not why or how to stop it, not yet at least. Even Nathalie's normally useful concern and care for him was too painfully… colorful… for him to allow her to do much to help. It also didn't help that, on this particular night, his own son's emotions were a scream in the middle of all the noise. When it was at its peak, Gabriel couldn't ignore it anymore, headache or not he called for Nathalie to start bring the blond boy to him.

Several hours later, she came with the bad news that he was nowhere to be found. Adrien apparently arrived from school, but the gorilla lost him when he sneaked out to who knows where on the evening. They both came to the conclusion that whatever happened to him after that, it was bad, but it was over now. Gabriel couldn't distinguish his son's emotions from the rest of the Parisian population anymore.

''Lila wants me to akumatize her again'' Gabriel mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose while laying on his couch. Nathalie knew he didn't sleep at all that night, just as she didn't, because of the headache that the miraculous powers and his lost son were giving him. She never liked the ´´deal´´ they had with the Rossi girl, she was good for creating situations that Hawkmoth could capitalize on, true, but the girl was more trouble than help, in Nathalie's opinion. She never told this to Gabriel of course. She sighed.

''Will you, sir?'' She asks. Gabriel thought for a while. It was almost morning, and the disappearance of his son was worrying him enough now that he was considering making it public, both to the authorities and other parents. He had no time for whatever game Lila wanted to play right now.

''Call the Lahiffe house, we need to find my son first'' He replied. Adrien was already out when he akumatized his friend, and maybe there was a connection between that and his strong emotions. He also was aware that Adrien and the Rossi girl were not in good terms anymore. Another Akuma potentially looking for his son's blood was probably not the best right now, while he was out there.

''We got a lot of material here, babe'' Nino said to his girlfriend. Both of them were looking at her computer, a document compiling most of the things Lila has said to impress their friends with some sort of proof that they weren't true, resting on the screen. They spent the night brainstorming, recalling every affirmation that the girl has said that they could, then looking for ways to disprove it. The result was this nice little sheet with every major thing she has used to garner their attention, next to anything from photos, to screenshots, to dates and facts, that disproved it.

Some of them made Alya and Nino laugh out loud after finding out the truth, their brief interview with Prince Ali who, turns out, didn't know anything about a Lila Rossi, was one of them. Other made them want to bang their heads and never wake up again in shame, like that disease she made up after she almost got Marinette expelled from school. They realized that once you knew she was full of bullshit, disproving her got easier and easier.

''I still have a hard time believing someone can be this cruel'' Alya commented after re-checking their list. ''It's almost no wonder everyone trusts her, babe, it's just so strange to just spill out lies like she does, and for no big reason too'' Nino responded. They had this conversation in different forms several times that night already, once the initial doubts were clear, the incredible malice that Lila displayed was just too cartoonish, too out there to be easily digested.

Nino had a different train of thought this time, though. ''She's so charismatic… How come only Marinette knew from the beginning that she was lying?'' He wondered out loud. Alya immediately goes back to the first time that Marinette told her something was off about Lila, pretty much that same day she arrived.

''She was just jealous at first, I think. Lila was getting a lot of Adrien's time for herself and we both know Marinette doesn't take that too well. '' The journalist felt guilty saying it out loud like that after all their discoveries. But just because she was right about Lila, it didn't mean her best friend's crush didn't get a bit out of hand sometimes. ''She got Adrien's attention because of her interview for the ladyblog'' Again, guilt.

Nino scoffed at that. ''As if Adrien would ever be impressed by someone's fame or money for that matter, Chloe would have had him a long time ago if he was'' He finished with a chuckle at the mental image. Alya joined ''You are being unfair babe, Chloe has the fame and the money but also she never hid her mean streak, unlike Lila who pretended to be bffs with a superhero from the beginning'' As soon as his girlfriend finished that sentence, a light bulb turned on inside of Nino's head.

''You know, my boy Adrien has been a big fan of Ladybugs since a while ago, I lowkey think it's a little bit creepy how many pictures of her he has on his phone… I think that was what got his attention that day, that specific lie'' He said. There was silence for a moment.

''So… the tie between how Marinette got suspicious of Lila for real at the beginning and how Lila got Adrien's attention is... Ladybug?'' Nino continued, Alya was really quiet.

''You know what else do Ladybug and Marinette have in common?'' She whispered. Having a hard time with the spiral of possibilities inside her sleepy head.

''Us'' They both said at the same time, looking at each other in surprise. After an awkward pause, they both laughed nervously.

''Can you imagine? Marinette being Ladybug this whole time? That's, and I quote, ridiculous! utterly ridiculous!'' Nino's voice imitating Chloe was always paid with at least a chuckle from Alya, but she was too into her own thoughts to laugh now.

''That's impossible babe'' she said, voice wavering a bit '' What else now, Adrien is Chat Noir and that's why he's so obsessed with Ladybug?'' The sarcasm was there on her voice tone, but by now she and Nino were just too sleepy to stop this idea from taking roots on their brains.

''Know what, this conversation is getting out of hands'' She said, standing up ''I hate that no matter how stupid this sounds I can't shake the the feeling that we are onto something here, bigger than freaking Lila Rossi and her lies'' She shook her head with her eyes closed. ''But this is going to be harder to prove, and I'm not even sure we should even try'' She finished, remembering Ladybugs request to stop trying to find her identity, and maybe try to find Hawkmoth's instead.

''I don't know about you babe, but I don't want to get my hopes up about this, specially without our friends present'' Nino was tired of lies for the night, maybe for a lifetime. They both think about how they haven't even apologized to their friends yet, that alone made them feel bad enough without adding superheroing to the mix.

After a while Nino's alarm goes off, and they start sluggishly preparing for the school day.

Marinette and Adrien ate the last pieces of bread from their breakfast in silence. Master Fu gone to the kitchen to fetch some more tea. Tikki and Plagg were still sleeping, Marinette was sure she had never seen Tikki so still for so long before.

''It's almost time for school…'' Adrien said without energy. ''I'm pretty sure that by now Nathalie and my bodyguard have noticed my absence… this is not good'' Marinette sensed he was stressing out, which probably didn't help make his condition any better.

''We can just pretend you were at my home and that everything is fine! We say the akuma attack ended too late and you were with me so you stayed over and ummm… you lost your phone! '' She said enthusiastically, Adrien chuckles.

''We should learn a thing or two from Lila… I don't even know how we kept our identities a secret this long with how bad we are at covering up our disappearances'' Said the blond boy and Marinette smiled, but the mention of Lila made her remember a more pressing problem.

''Ugh, Lila… We destroyed her home, and it's permanent… A part of me feels good about it but it's gonna be trouble, I'm sure of it'' She groans. ''I don't remember much of last night, but ...I think we can turn this around in our favor'' Adrien suggests.

''Oh? Kitty is that a scheming face I see?'' As soon as she said that, said scheming face instantly lost all its seriousness, he winked at her and then continued with his idea ''I might be terrible at lying on the spot, but I know a thing or two about PR. When proof is not enough to make someone look bad, then it becomes a word against word match. Who do you think would win in that scenario, a random girl with questionable background like Lila, or the superheroes of Paris?'' He finished, one finger up and smiling as Marinette's expression lights up. She looks at him with shining eyes, fascinated with the realization that her silly kitty was also the face of a fashion brand and has been dealing with fame out of costume too this whole time.

''We just need to make sure she has no evidence of us being at her home last night'' He added.

''Well it was pretty dark and no one was around after the akuma attack, so no cameras. You destroyed some rooftops too though…Should we just wait to see what Lila does and then disprove her?'' Marinette saw Adrien shaking his head softly before she finished asking ''No, it's too reactive, will give the wrong idea… We might need to make a public statement or an interview for the ladyblog or something before Lila has a chance of spilling the beans'' Thinking of Alya was painful for both of them, specially because it lead to thinking of Nino and then of all the shit they had to fix still.

Master Fu came in on that moment, bringing some more tea. Both heroes said their thanks and started blowing their steaming cups. Marinette was feeling a lot better after her nap, but she could tell Adrien was not getting the same results yet. It seemed that the bags under his eyes were there to stay for a while, after all he had been sporting them all week now. But also she caught him coughing and shivering a couple times, even with his efforts to minimize how aparent his weakness is, she noticed.

''I need to apologize to both of you'' Master Fu started once he settled down with his own tea. ''Because of my rule of not letting you two know each others identities sooner, I put you both and the world in terrible danger. What happened last night wouldn't have occurred under the wing of a more responsible guardian, it was my mistake'' He bowed next, and both heroes started feeling extremely self conscious.

''M-Master you don't have to apologize! I was stubborn too and too blind to see what I was doing to my own partner!'' Said Marinette, and Adrien continued immediately ''And I was being too annoying with my insistence! I see now how whimsical I was being from the beginning, just wanting to know Ladybugs identity because I wanted to get close to her, not because of heroism'' They both blushed after the blond boy stopped talking, they hadn't really had time for that type of talk yet.

Before they could get more awkward, Master Fu chuckled and said ''Well, love and whims on the side, I let it drag for too long and it ended up doing more damage than good'' He bowed again, this time even Wayzz joined him. Marinette suddenly got up, her burst of energy cleansing the room of all the tension.

''I'm so stupid! Of course! We can get Alya and Nino on our side to fix this!'' She exclaimed, Adrien eyes wide open at the sudden movement, but listening her carefully ''It's them! Rena Rouge and Carapace! We just need to tell them who we are and bam!'' She was so excited it was cute, Adrien couldn't even say he was surprised about the revelation either. At this point he was done feeling stupid and just accepted the information.

''Can we do that?'' The model asks with a hopeful voice. Master Fu is smiling when he says ''It's Ladybug's call now, not mine. I've decided to not meddle and just serve with my support and knowledge, as she has proven to me that she is wise and capable of handling any situation now'' Adrien couldn't agree more, and Marinette's excitement was contagious, he started to get up to hug her when Marinette suddenly stopped her little jumps of happiness. She was looking at the cushion between the futons now, both kwamis still sleeping there.

''What about our kwamis?'' She asked sadly. It was like a rollercoaster, seeing her go from joy to worry in a second. ''They should wake up soon, but there's a possibility they sleep all day long'' Wayzz said.

Marinette notices a little gasp coming from Adrien before he says '' What if there's another Akuma? we can't purify them without the Ladybug miraculous and it's all my fault…'' He mumbles softly. Marinette frowns ''No, no no no no, NO. '' She kneels and then cups the model's face with both her hands, looking at him in the eyes ''None of that, kitty. We got into this together, we get out together!'' She couldn't have him blaming himself again, they already knew where that landed. Besides, the sight of him so melancholic and pale was too painful for Marinette.

The heroine let go of her now very red partner, and with newfound energy asked the guardian if they could use the other miraculous. He said again that the choice was hers now.

''But you need to remember what happens when you wear more than one, Marinette'' Master Fu reminded her while she was opening the box. She stopped and groaned. ''Dang I forgot… I don't think either of us could stand a whole day of that'' She was pressuring herself to think when she heard a moan of pain coming from Adrien. He was panting again and holding his right hand on his chest.

Master Fu was trying to ease the blond boy, and the attack receded soon enough. ''He tried to remove his ring…'' The guardian said. Adrien calmed down enough to talk ''I don't think I can wear any other miraculous any time soon my lady'' He said.

Ugh. So many problems, Marinette thought. She could bring another miraculous to school just in case, but Adrien wouldn't be able to wear it since he couldn't remove his ring, and two miraculouses would just make him weaker. Her phone's alarm went off, time for school. She sighed, then took the horse miraculous out of the box and put the glasses on. Adrien and Master Fu looked at her questioningly.

''I'm teleporting us to my house so we can pretend we were there all night. My parents will want to know how we got in without them noticing but I can explain that later… somehow'' She said. Adrien nodded and got up slowly, then went to the closest mirror to fix his appearance best he could. She probably needed to do the same, but she wanted to do it at her own bathroom. ''That will be at least one alibi with witnesses in our favor. The rest of the problems we will solve them once we face them, we don't even know if Lila will go to school after what happened'' She finished. Adrien was just thinking how amazing she was.

''You are amazing too, Adrien'' Master Fu said quietly to him. Did he read minds too now? ''It's written in your face'' He smiled at the hero. ''You are not the first holder of the black miraculous to lose control of Destruction, but you are the first to come out of the experience still a hero''


	7. Reconciliation

Chloe arrived at Collège Françoise Dupont ten minutes before classes were scheduled to start. Sabrina was waiting for her, and, as always, had her sit cleaned and ready for her. She was positive her day was going to be perfect, specially since there was a new fashion gala announced last night. Adrikins was super depressive to be around lately, and nothing better to help than the prospect of going to a fancy party with his favorite friend. Yup.

Her mood soured, however, when she saw that almost everyone was gathered on the back of the classroom where the attention-stealer usually sat. She was crying dramatically and it looked like she hadn't slept. Even Chloe felt some pity at seeing her hair like that, poor peasant.

''It was horrible, I swear I've never been that scared in my whole life!'' Said Lila. ''Not even when that yacht sank while you were in it a couple months ago?'' Asked Rose.

Chloe ignored the rest of that conversation. She wasn't interested in those kind of sob stories just to garner some attention, such an old school move. Boring.

While everyone was distracted with the crying on the back, Alya and Nino entered the classroom and, when they didn't immediately take their seats, Chloe noticed how they were both frowning at Lila's little drama club. About time those two idiots stopped buying everything that girl said. She also noticed how they both looked kind of like Lila, no beauty sleep for them either.

Last to enter were Adrien and Marinette and Oh my god, them too? Were eyebags in now and no one told Chloe?. She was about to make a remark to tease them a little, but Lila decided that was the moment to cry harder than before. Of course.

''What's up with you, dudette?'' Asked Nino sounding a bit disgusted. Right after he said that Adrien started coughing behind him, and Marinette immediately put a supportive hand on his shoulder, a frown deep on her forehead. Nino looks at his girlfriend in the eyes and they both nod, determined to solve this once and for all.

''Her house got destroyed last night by Chat Noir! she could have died, have some sympathy'' Ivan scolded Nino. ''What do you mean?'' Alya said, eyebrow raised.

''He's not as good as people think, you shouldn't believe everything the media tells you, Alya'' Lila added with a pathetic sob in between. Alright, Alya thought, time to get this over with. ''Last night? after Nino got Akumatized?'' She asked Lila, apparently concerned for her now. When Lila nodded, obviously thinking she got her, Alya scoffed ''Well that is just not possible. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug were at my house all night after the Akuma attack'' Marinette and Adrien looked at her wide eyed now. ''We were making peace after Nino's Akumatization and also prepared a new interview for the ladyblog, It's gonna be up soon by the way guys'' She winked. Maybe that was a bit much, but it worked. The class was murmuring now and Lila looked nervous.

Adrien and Marinette could not believe it. Alya was apparently on their side now, doing exactly what they were gonna ask her to do, without them having to say a thing? Marinette almost felt like crying right there, but she gulped her emotions down for now. Lila couldn't know how much this meant to her and Adrien. The boy by her side was just as stunned, but the spell broke the moment Nino looked back at them and winked too.

As soon as the bell rang and recess started, Marinette took Adrien's hand (Who sat next to her again, for appearances sake but she couldn't deny it was nice), then Alya's hand and made a gesture with her head to Nino so he would follow her. The DJ smiled and did just that. Marinette almost ran until she found a quiet corner almost outside the lycee.

The first thing the designer did once they were sure no one could hear them was hug Alya. Both girls started crying and the reporter was mumbling apologies while Marinette was shushing her soon enough. Nino and Adrien looked at the scene smiling, then they looked at each other. Nino's heart stung when he saw his bro's smile drop at soon as they locked gazes.

''So…'' Adrien started saying, suddenly shy. Nino rapidly continued for him ''I don't know where to start dude, I messed up bad, I should have trusted you over that bitch from the beginning and I should have known that you were-'' He got interrupted by his brother's hug. Nino noticed Adrien was trembling and he felt colder than usual. He looked like crap too, but that wasn't new, sadly. The girls stopped their apologies and crying and joined the hug.

''I missed you'' Adrien said to no one in particular.

They eventually separated, and Nino asked ''Bro, no offense but you look like a truck ran you over, what happened? It wasn't me, right?'' Both Marinette and Adrien knew he was referring to his Akumatized self. Right, of course. The secrets.

''It's ok, just a cold'' Adrien reassured, but Marinette wasn't gonna have it ''Nope, no more secrets, remember kitty?'' She said. ''So it is true'' Alya said in amazement. Both heroes nodded, and Nino and Alya proceeded to explain to them what they discovered last night.

''You finally see the truth! '' Marinette exclaimed joyfully once their story was over. She mostly referred to Lila, but she was also really glad she didn't have to hide her second life from her best friend anymore.

''Wait, so what happened really to you last night?'' Nino asked Adrien. Oh, right, they never explained that.

''Well… for once Lila didn't lie'' The model said. The irony was so powerful, thought Alya. She believed she was making an innocent white lie with her made up alibi for the heroes in front of the class, when she was actually beating Lila with her own stick. ''So, did you really attack her?'' Inquired the reporter. It was turn for Marinette and Adrien (Marinette mostly, since she was conscious for all the events, unlike her partner) to explain their night now, every detail possible included. What stuck out to Alya the most was the damage her and Nino were unknowingly dealing to Adrien these past couple of days, and the disaster that they barely avoided. Marinette really was a hero.

''And then we decided to tell you guys about everything, so-'' Marinette was saying, but Adrien's phone started ringing. ''It's Nathalie'' Said Adrien with a sigh. They knew this was coming. ''She called a couple times while we were in class, but I just ignored her… I don't know what to tell her'' He admits.

There is a little pause, and then Alya takes the phone from his hands and answers. ''Hello?, I just found this phone on the street after yesterday's akuma'' She said while winking at the group. ''Ooohh this is Adrien's phone! Haha thats so funny. I'm Alya Césaire I actually know him!, I can give it to him if you want… Yes… On the street, yeah… Oh! no, he's okay! He stayed at Nino's house last night, doing homework… His friend yep… You see, he got akumatized yesterday because he was behind on class, so Adrien decided to help him, I didn't know this was his phone haha… Sure thing!... have a good day!'' The call ended, and Alya saw that her friends were just standing there, mouths comically open. ''Lila, is that you?'' Marinette joked.

They laughed and celebrated Alya's masterful save. It wasn't really the strongest of alibi's, but it would do for now, they hoped.

Nathalie reported everything she just learned from the Cesaire girl to her boss. They both agreed that it was a bunch of bullcrap. Gabriel would have maybe, just maybe fallen for that, but the fact that he was Hawkmoth and he knew exactly why Nino was akumatized yesterday gave it all away. He would also have attributed Adrien's disappearance to some teenage rebeldy if it wasn't because he knew something distressed his son greatly last night.

Gabriel then remembered Lila Rossi was distressed too, she wanted to be akumatized early in the morning. Maybe there was a connection, he thought. He decided to call her.

''Miss Rossi'' He salutes. '' I want to know what your next plan is'' He said nonchalantly. Lila told him about Chat Noir attacking her on the night after the akuma attack, and Gabriel doesn't care about anything else she has so say after that. All the suspicions he had before of his son being the black clad hero came back in a wave.

He ended the call before Lila could ask him for a favor, and told Nathalie about his new discovery.

''So, that time when your dad got all mad because Chat Noir rejected you, it was Adrien rejecting his lady all along? Giiiirl'' Alya mocked, Marinette and Adrien red as tomatoes while their friends laughed and tried to make sense of all the shenanigans they went through just because they didn't know their identities.

Classes had ended an hour ago, and they just went to the park nearby to talk some more. The first thing they did was put their stories in order, so nobody would catch them off guard regarding what happened last night. Then it was mostly banter and feeling really stupid together.

''That's not even close to being the worst story, remember when you gave me the snake miraculous, Marinette?'' Said Adrien covering his eyes, still red and very much in shame, but enjoying retelling these things in this new light anyways. ''Oh my god! '' Exclaimed the heroine. ''What? what happened ?'' Inquired Alya, and they took turns to give her all the details about that particular mission. Nino was just dying laughing on the floor.

''Speaking of Luka, what is up with those nails? '' Alya asks, pointing at the model's hands. Right. Those. ''Uhh… I think they might be permanent'' Said Adrien, looking at them too. He was still weirded out by the change, but he calmed himself down easily when he thought that having regular manicures to look normal is probably not the worst punishment for losing control of Destruction.

''Maybe you should work for a gothic brand now dude'' Said Nino to lighten the mood again, they all chuckled and continued talking until Adrien's phone ringed again. It was Nathalie again.

''Y-yes?'' The model said after picking up the call. There were a couple ´´Aha's´´ that got quieter and quieter, then he hanged and stood up. ''I gotta go home immediately or… Or I'll get taken out of school'' He said, the tone indicating that he believed in that threat. His friends understood, and they instantly tried to make him feel better by saying they would see each other tomorrow, so he should just go now. He was about to start running when Marinette catched his arm, and whispered so only the two of them could hear: ''I can use the horse miraculous and go tonight to your room so we can continue talking, Chaton, if that's okay with you'' She said, suddenly timid. He smiled and nodded, and then she gave him a peck on the cheek. ''Later'' She whispered.

Lila was humiliated. How could this have happened? She was sure she had everyone under her thumb, except for Marinette and Adrien, of course. Then Alya and Nino suddenly decided they didn't believe her anymore? All that hugging the four of them did at the recess was very suspicious too.

Then there was that stupid moth who didn't help at all, and Gabriel Agreste didn't even let her ask him for help. This was all too weird, too sudden, to be mere coincidence. She had to accept she had more enemies now.

She just had to find a way to make them turn on each other again, as usual.


	8. The rules of the world

After Adrien left the park, his friends decided to go to Master Fu's place together. Marinette wanted to give her Alya and Nino their miraculous, if not permanently at least for now until everything was more or less back to normal. She now knew how life changing bonding with a literal god could be, so she wanted to have the guardian explaining all of that to them before they made their choices. She also wanted to check on Tikki and Plagg.

Adrien was let in by the enormous outside gate of her house. He ran the whole way there and made it before ten minutes passed, he was confident it was enough to placate his father's wrath and prevent getting expelled from school, but he also had the gut feeling that it wouldn't have mattered if he teleported there. He cleared the sweat on his brow and regained his composure, trying to show how winded he was by his run and the events of last night as little as possible. It didn't help that he was completely alone for the first time in a very long while. Plagg wasn't there with him.

As soon as the door opens, the boy is met by his father and his assistant. The first was scowling but as soon as he saw his son his gaze softened a little bit. Adrien started to get nervous, no words said between them making it worse by the second. He started playing with his ring.

Gabriel Agreste refrained from saying anything, deciding to wait a bit to see if his son would give any clue of his second life. He got it as soon as the boy got nervous enough to start playing with his ring. That alone would have confirmed most of his suspicions, but when he saw the black nails the designer had no doubts left: Adrien was Chat Noir, hero of Paris and his enemy. But he didn't have to be.

The silence was broken when Nathalie gasped, she probably saw the nails too. Adrien took this cue to start talking about his whereabouts the night before, mumbling some apologies first and when he started lying Gabriel stopped his son with a hug.

They stood there for a good minute, Gabriel felt the tension rise first on Adrien's body, but then the boy relaxed and reciprocated the affection. Once he was sure Adrien let his guard down a bit, Gabriel ended the hug and took a step back, then gave his back to his son and started walking towards his office.

''Follow me, son'' He said, and after a second of hesitation Adrien started walking too.

Master Fu opens the door to his home and welcomes the trio, and as soon as Marinette is in she's greeted by Tikki, who flies to kiss her cheek. Alya and Nino watched as the two exchanged ´´I missed you´s´´ with smiles on their faces. So this was Ladybugs Kwami.

Once the greetings stopped, Marinette and the rest noticed the presence of the other tiny god. Plagg was still resting on the cushion, eating cheese. Marinette worried for a moment that he was still too weak, since he wasn't flying, but if he was devouring his favorite food with such energy, it couldn't be that bad.

''Hey plagg'' She greeted him. He finished his cheese first then hovered around her head. ''Hey pigtails'' He smirked. ''Where is Adrien?'' He asked once he noticed the blond wasn't there.

''I'll take you to him in a second'' She replied, but before she could transform, the guardian stopped her. ''Wait a moment, Marinette. We have to talk about something first'' Said the Master.

''What about Adrien?'' Asked Nino this time, but the Master was already putting up cushions on the floor for everyone, tossing them in a square. He indicated for them to sit, and after a pause they did.

''There is something you need to know, and Adrien not being here is a good thing, I believe'' Marinette opened her mouth to complain but the Master shush her and continued ''If after hearing me out you decide that the best thing to do is tell him, I'm not gonna stop you, Ladybug'' Marinette reluctantly nodded. She really didn't want more secrets, and this seemed serious.

''This morning before you two left, I told Adrien that he's the first holder of destruction to go back to being a hero after losing control of his powers'' Said the guardian, his voice adopted a lower tone ''That was a bit of a white lie'' The trio frowned at this. Marinette specially did not like where this was going at all. ''He is not really the first user of the black cat miraculous to return to his normal self after wielding destruction, nor is he the first one to have a first incident without too many… casualties'' They all looked uneasy thinking of what could have happened. The master continued:

''The consequences of losing control of one's miraculous are permanent, as you might have noticed, Adrien did not come out exactly the same after last night, Marinette'' He said looking at the heroine in the eyes. Marinette hoped the master was referring to the black nails Adrien sported now, but her gut told her that wasn't all.

''Are you saying he will fall again?'' Asked Alya. ''You are correct, Alya. Every single user before Adrien, ended up succumbing to Destructions will sooner or later after losing control that first time. It's the ultimate curse of the Black Cat miraculous, I'm afraid'' He finished sadly.

These were terrible news, Marinette thought. So her kitty was doomed to become that being again? That was so unfair!

''Why did you have to choose him! or anyone! if it was gonna end like this anyways?! We are kids!'' Nino shouted, mad for the fate of his brother. Alya and Marinette agreeing with the sentiment.

''Only Ladybug can deal with Hawkmoth, and since her miraculous is a pair with destruction, he needed a charge too. Permanent users bond with their miraculous after a long period of time, that's why I never suggested making you two heros full time even if Marinette trusted you'' He said looking at Nino and Alya. '' I knew defeating Hawkmoth would not be easy task as soon as that first Akuma appeared. It would take time, so I had to choose two people that would be compatible with Creation and Destruction, since the bond would end up being permanent. It happened in the past where the wrong people bonded with the wrong miraculous, that is another way balance can be broken'' He sounded sad ''And not only that, I also needed to consider fate''

''Fate?'' Asked Marinette

''Yes, the pair charged with the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses end up almost always being soulmates, of one kind or the other'' Marinette's cheeks would have turned pink upon hearing that any other occasion, but she was too worried about Adrien right now to enjoy the prospect of her being destined to be with him. One way or the other, whatever that meant.

''And then there is the fact that, sometimes the people compatible with both miraculouses are not moral people. They might check every other box, but in order to defeat Hawkmoth I needed two heroes at heart '' Said the guardian. Alya and Nino smiled, and Nino did a little whistle then said: ''Those are a lot of requirements dude'' Master Fu nodded.

''To find the perfect holders and them being children was a terrible coincidence, one I decided to deal with'' Master Fu said solemnly. Marinette understood now, it was a lot to take in but also nothing new, if she thought about it. She was creative and a problem solver, and she had a little voice on her head (Before Tikki) telling her what was good and bad since she could remember. Adrien was kind and compassionate, and apparently he had the perfect background to deal with what Destruction entailed. And they were fated to meet and connect anyways. This time Marinette did go red in the face, remembering the moment she fell for the blond boy, when he gave her this umbrella. He had already fallen for her superhero alter ego. It really was fate.

And apparently it was also fate that he would lose himself again.

''Ok I get it, I think we all do'' Said Alya, Nino nodded and Marinette just looked at her with sad understanding ''But why is Adrien destined to such a thing and not Marinette, what even happens if Ladybug loses control of Creation, for that matter?'' Asked the reporter, then her boyfriend added ''Yeah, It can't be bad, Creation is a good thing, right?''

''It could be bad'' Said Marinette with a small voice, but she was sure ''Creation is not just about life and creativity… It's about preserving said life…. forever. It's the opposite of change'' Master Fu was nodding ''Our Ladybug understands herself pretty well. Without change there is no progress, and evolution is needed in order for life to survive''

''There is also the laws of physics, you know'' Said Plagg, his voice heard for the first time in a while, startling everyone. ''Matter cannot be destroyed nor created, only transformed. That's why sugarcube and I are a pair'' They all thought of the implications of what Plagg just said. So breaking balance meant breaking the laws of the universe? That was a lot to digest for the trio of heroes, and silence filled the room for a while.

''You don't need to think about breaking the world everytime you make a step or create something, Marinette. '' Said the guardian smiling at her, It was like he was reading her mind, for that was exactly what she was worrying about just now. ''The miraculouses, even considering last night's events, are not that fragile and easy to corrupt. You only need to trust your partner and know that you are not alone. Creation and Destruction might be the most powerful ones, but they are not the only forces capable of keeping the peace''

''What about Adrien?'' Marinette asked then. Who would she have to count on if he was destined to lose control again?

''What I told you is terrible indeed, but the good news is, no guardian, not even the kwamis, remember all the history of the miraculouses. So I could be wrong about every Black Cat relapsing and losing control after the first time'' Replied the guardian in a comforting tone that Marinette was grateful for, no matter how flimsy their situation was.

''How can we help? '' Asked Alya. ''What made the other users of Adrien's miraculous fall again?''

''This is why I wanted to talk to all of you about this without Adrien first'' Answered Master Fu, looking at each member of the trio in the eyes ''I wanted you to be prepared, because every case before this one has been different, but they had something in common'' He said.

Tikki and Plagg looked uncomfortable. They really didn't like the topic of their past charges, the unspoken rule of never asking about them being broken partially by the guardian himself was a lesser evil, but bothered them anyways.

''A big shock, a situation where the user of the Black Cat would be forced to use Destructions full power, even if it meant losing control again. Now that Adrien knows he has access to such thing, anything that he finds no immediate solution to would put him at risk of losing control.'' He said, and then Plagg started floating and talking:

''Most of the times that this happened before, it was because ladybug died. No one can blame my kittens for losing it then'' He said defensively, Tikki looked tremendously sad but said nothing.

Plagg hovered in front of Marinette's face now, and with a menacing toxic green gaze piercing her eyes, he whispered ''If you let yourself die, I'll make sure everything you have created and loved disappears from existence, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, that's a promise. Now take me to my kid''


	9. The villain and his broken family

Adrien silently followed his father to his office, where the man stopped in front of Emily Agreste's favorite painting. The boy was about to ask what were they doing there when he noticed his father putting his fingers on the painting, except, it was not a normal painting. Those were buttons on a hidden panel, one that Adrien never noticed was there before.

From there things got weird fast; Gabriel made some hand gestures signaling his son to come over to his side, then the floor started sinking. Adrien's brain overwhelmed with this new information, the only thing he could make sense inside his mind was ''This is an elevator''. Gabriel merely nodded, not even looking at him now. Then he started talking.

''I know where you have been spending your free time, son.'' Adrien cringed upon hearing that, but before he could play cool his father continued ''I also have an idea of your whereabouts last night. You were with Ladybug, am I correct?'' He asked. Adrien stood there for a while, the elevator still moving down slowly.

''Whaaaat'' He responded stupidly. The model really had no idea how to get out of this one. But he knew he shouldn't give any more information before knowing himself how did his father got that idea in the first place.

''You don't need to pretend anymore, Adrien. I know you are Chat Noir. I'm not mad or disappointed, in fact, I'm proud'' Gabriel finished, still no smile on his face. Adrien couldn't start to process anything because the elevator hit the bottom just as his father finished talking.

The boy was too distracted by his own panicked thoughts so it took him a while to notice what his father was walking towards. It was a coffin. Sort of.

''W-What now?'' He asked, walking slowly after his father. The man stopped in front of the coffin and put his hand on a button there before answering ''Well, now that I know your truth, it's only fair that I share mine'' He said . Adrien couldn't help but feel trapped and uncomfortable the whole time, no matter how much he dreamed of his father understanding his hero activities one day, this was not it. He was sure his father had an ulterior motive to be this soft about the whole thing, and now he knew what it was.

The coffin's wood paneling slided and only glass remained, and laying there was Emily Agreste.

''Mom'' He whispered. Adrien ran towards the woman and put both his hands on the glass. She didn't look dead, but she was not moving, not a breath rising on her chest. His missing mother was hiding under his house this whole time. That was all the boy could think about in that moment, his father standing by his side not explaining anything yet.

The moment of shock passed, however, and Adrien regained his senses. This was weird, and wrong, and he needed answers. Now. The boy looked at his father frowning, he stood between the coffin and the man, as if Gabriel was a threat to the unmoving woman.

''Explanation, now'' Said the blond, cold as his own progenitor. Gabriel did not expect that reaction, or maybe he did, deep down. He had a slim hope of his son still being the fragile and manipulable child he was when his mother disappeared, but that was not the case anymore. Pity, Gabriel thought.

A terrifying smile crossed the designers face as he took his scarf and removed it, displaying what was beneath. A butterfly pin. Adrien gasped.

Ladybug landed on Adrien's bedroom then let go of the tiny black cat that was traveling in her hands. The little god was still winded, but had energy enough to bolt towards the different areas of the room and call for his kitten. She did the same, but soon she knew he was not there. Unsure of how to proceed, Ladybug stood in the middle of the room, illuminated by the moonlight coming through the huge windows.

''Where is he?'' She pondered out loud.

Plagg came out of the bathroom, finishing his round around the whole room with a sad face. But before the tiny god could reach the heroine, he started getting sucked as if he was a piece of metal being attracted by a giant magnet. Ladybug caught on fast, and followed the kwami even after he went through the bedroom's door.

She got a flashback of the last time this happened, when Adrien turned into Destruction last night. ''Oh no, no no'' She was chanting as she ran following the black blur that was Plagg now. She barely registered she went past an astonished Nathalie as she entered what she was sure was Gabriel Agreste's office.

But then Plagg was absorbed down the floor, and she got stuck, not knowing how to go down there. By now she had pretty bleak suspicions of what was happening, more or less. And it was not good.

''Guys, grab your miraculouses and come to the Agreste mansion ASAP'' She said to her yoyo, hoping Master Fu would receive that on time and tell the others. She then approached the spot where the kwami disappeared. She noticed a tiny circular dent on the floor, as if something was supposed to move there. A secret passage?

Ladybug started poking the shape with her yoyo to no avail, then looked around for clues.

''You can't get down there'' A feminine voice said from behind her. She knew without looking that this was Nathalie, the secretary. No one else spoke this calmly and no one else seemed to be there. But when she turned around and saw Mayura instead, her blue eyes widened in surprise.

''Y-you'' She said, taking a defensive position, yoyo spinning. That had to be Nathalie, right? She just assumed she was just hearing her voice. Her mind started spinning after realizing all the implications of that fact. Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth, and Chat Noir no-Adrien, his own son, was fighting him down there. Wherever that was. She had to get there.

''Lucky charm!'' She screamed, and a tiny square landed on her hands. A photo. Of Emily Agreste. She looked at the tiny frame, then at the big one right behind her. She ran towards it and started touching it, and when she found the first button she finally felt some hope.

But before she could try and find the rest of them and hope for the best combination, something grabbed the back of her suit and pulled her away from the painting.

The sentimonster was a giant peacock, barely fitting inside the office. The bird had her by her neck and she couldn't easily let go, her yoyo quickly repelled by the monster's feathered wings.

Mayura coughed a couple times, then said ''I'll take those earrings now, and we can soon be done with this''

Hawkmoth was afraid. For the first time since he started his quest to get his wife back, his life was in actual danger. This was nothing like the colorful Akumas he'd been making or the cheerful heroes that fought against them. This was a god, a very dangerous one.

Destruction stood in front of him, not moving since Adrien called his kwami in a low and angry tone, and transformed into this… monster.

He had tried to explain to him his plans, of course, but the boy would not have it. Maybe transforming right away into Hawkmoth was not the best idea. Gabriel could see and sense while he was talking that his son was not really listening, his mind racing and his gaze towards him colder and colder.

And now he was this. Before he transformed, the man could feel his boy's anger towards him, growing. But now there was nothing. Just like before when Lila Rossi called a couple days ago, Adrien's emotions vanished.

Gabriel grabbed his staff, unsure that, if it came to it, he could defeat this creature on his own. He wondered what was taking Nathalie so long, she was supposed to come back down after a while, giving him time with Adrien but also helping him make the boy more comfortable in his new role by his side. Gabriel was not an idiot, he knew the boy didn't trust him as much as he did before, almost three years of ignoring his affection finally taking its toll in their relationship, but his son had a soft spot for the secretary.

''You are a terrible father'' The voice took Gabriel out of his thoughts, its source being the creature in front of him. It sounded like Adrien, but it echoed all over the place and it's volume felt like a whisper and a scream at the same time. He still couldn't tell what he was feeling.

''I did what I had to'' Gabriel said, soon finding himself backing out as Destruction started walking casually towards him. The floor beneath the god was starting to erode, and the space around him was weird, wavering as if looking through hot air. Hawkmoth was convinced that if he touched him he was done for.

''You chose your dead wife over your living son'' The god stated, still no emotion on the voice or emanating from him.

''She's not dead!'' Gabriel screamed, stopping his backtracking for a second. Destruction took the chance and got closer suddenly, then slowly lifted one of his sharp claws. But before he could touch the villain's terrified face, he looked past the man, towards the elevator. Someone was coming.

''Adrien stop!'' Ladybug cried, running towards them. ''You need to control it!'' She screamed. The villain could sense her distress as she approached.

The heroine stood behind a petrified Hawkmoth, if he moved one inch it would be over, he was sure of that. Why did she stop? He was going to die! Wasn't saving people her job? All those thoughts were running on Gabriels mind, but then he noticed. She was no longer afraid, as she was coming in. Then he sensed the others.

Carapace and Rena Rouge defeated her Sentimonster after stopping it enough to let Ladybug quickly figure out the correct button combination for the lift down. Mayura, now just Nathalie, was being dragged by the green hero down now, following shortly after the red heroine went down herself.

The scene they encountered was worrisome, to say the least. Her boss had lost, that much was clear at least. Nathalie could see him standing very still in front of what looked like a shadow of Chat Noir, Ladybug staring at them both, not even spinning her yoyo.

The secretary suddenly feared for something worse than incarceration, as the creature's cataclysmed hand closened on Gabriel's face.

''Dude no!'' Screamed Carapace, letting Nathalie go to get closer to the scene. Ladybug stopped both the fox and the turtle with one hand gesture, and they did reluctantly. Was she on board with just… letting Chat Noir-Adrien, kill his own father?

But the dark claws stopped before they reached the designers eyes, and something came out of them, like a soul being sucked out to the darkness. The action lasted a couple seconds, and then Chat Noir or whatever that was gave everyone his back and walked towards the coffin where his mother laid.

Ladybug walked past the villain, who was apparently incapacitated by whatever Adrien did to him. Carapace and Rena Rouge approached the man and apprehended him without meeting any resistance. ''Call off your transformation'' Ladybug heard Rena command behind her. She then heard a murmur from the man and a purple light flashed.

Before her, Adrien stood in front of the weird coffin on the end of the room, surrounded by beautiful plants and white butterflies. His dark form looked mournful, and while Ladybug was sure now that Destruction was not in control this time, she was also sure Adrien should not be staying in that form any longer.

She put one hand on his shoulder, knowing it would not destroy her. The pink light started shining around her hand again, but this time it didn't drain her, as she was not hugging him completely. She could feel the boy draw a big breath, then he slowly placed one of his black hands on the coffin, making it dissolve into nothingness. As this happened, the cataclysm surrounding him vanished too, and a sobbing boy stood in the place the god was occupying seconds before.

Then she hugged him.


	10. Cookies and cheese

Ladybug hugged her partner as he calmed down, Plagg barely awake on the floor beside them. She expected some sort of complaint from the man being held behind by Carapace and Rena Rouge, but he was quiet. This was his wife that just got vanished into nothing, after all.

After a moment Adrien stopped sobbing and grabbed Plagg's tiny form from the floor. ''I'm so sorry'' He whispered to the kwami, who just shrugged and sounded proud when he said ''At least let me have more cheese in between controlling one of the biggest forces of the universe''

As soon as the cat said that, Ladybug realized that what her partner just did has probably never done before, or at least, not that the guardian knew. Master Fu did say that other Chat Noirs transformed into Destruction, but never mentioned any of them actually using it without, well, destroying uncontrollably. Which posed the question.

''What did you destroy?'' She asked her partner. He looked up, cheeks marked by the tears he just shed for his mother, and then looked at the man behind them.

''I… I destroyed his connection with my mother'' He said, not insecure or fearful anymore, just sad and tired. She felt a pang of pain now, understanding at least halfway what had happened here, why was Hawkmoth attacking Paris this whole time.

''But… the wish'' She started, then Gabriel Agreste interrupted her, still being held by the other two heroes. ''The wish would have taken a price'' He said, sounding just as tired as his son was. So he knew what he was doing. Ladybugs earrings started beeping in that moment, but the man continued anyways.

''I read the book, deciphered a lot about the miraculous from it. The only thing that could have bring Emily back was the wish one gets by combining the powers of Destruction and Creation… I would have given my life in the process-'' ''No!'' Screamed Tikki, just as the transformation dropped .

''You don't understand! you don't understand anything at all!, that wish is never fair, if it was our charges would have used it a million times before, but its not! It doesn't take a life for another, it takes everything you already have, just to give you one thing you think you want!'' The tiny red creature was furious now, her eyes started glowing a light shade of pink while she floated between her holder and her partner, and the rest.

As Tikky spoke, Marinette noticed the plants around them rising up, as if they just received a much needed dose of water and sunshine. Some butterflies got crazy and surrounded Tikky for a moment in a spiral, but when her outburst was over, they went back to their random fluttering. Everyone was quiet, enough to hear the wings of the tiny insects flapping.

Gabriel Agreste's head turned downwards, looking sadly at the floor, like how a child just scolded by an adult would. The other two heroes and Nathalie were sporting similar looks, as if they, too, were the target of the Kwami's wrath. Adrien sniffed quietly by Marinette's side, and then he stood.

The boy walked towards his father, Marinette worried about how slow he moved, probably drained by everything that has been going on. Adrien approached his father and, locking his gaze to the man's while he kneeled in front of him, took the miraculous from his collar, then stood up again. ''You too Nathalie'' He said then, stretching one hand towards the woman. His voice was an attempt at sounding neutral and cold, but Marinette could tell how strained he was, trying to suppress his sadness enough to finish what he started.

The secretary gave him her brooch with no complaints either, then asked ''What will happen now?''. Marinette didn't need to be an empath to know that the woman sounded somewhat relieved after all of this. She was strained before, while making threats and trying to take her miraculous, but now she seemed relaxed for the first time since she knew the woman.

Adrien didn't answer, and just went past the Nathalie towards the lift. Marinette stood up and, before following her partner, she stopped in front of the former villain behind held by her friends.

''You have done a lot of damage'' She started. Adrien was close to the end of the platform but stopped moving, listening in. ''And most of that damage has been suffered by your own son. I don't want him to lose anything else tonight, you hear me?'' Marinette was still mad at the man, but she tried to sound compelling instead of showing how frustrated she really was.

''Are we not taking him to the police?'' Asked Carapace. Marinette shook her head. ''No, not for now at least. His crimes will be punished, but I don't want to make Adrien suffer further just to seek vengeance'' She had made her mind. If Gabriel Agreste went to prison, with his identity as Hawkmoth public, she was sure that Adrien would not be left alone again ever in his life. ''We will keep an eye on you, Mister Agreste, and you too, Nathalie. If I hear or see anything that suggest you are scheming again, this deal is over and you go to jail, understood?''

It was hard to think that this was a teenager, Nathalie thought in that moment as she and Gabriel nodded to the girl. The other two heroes let go of her boss and went behind the heroine who resumed her walk towards the lift, where Adrien was waiting.

''Are you ok?'' Asked Marinette once she had a moment with Adrien alone. She felt stupid the second the words came out of her mouth. Of course he wasn't ok, he just went through the worst week of his life. His father was a villain and he just destroyed what remained of his mother. They were in the boys room now, where he just sat on the bed, exhausted, after leaving both their kwamis on a cushion in his desk. She stood awkwardly in front of said piece of furniture. There was a tiny voice in the girls head screaming that she was alone with Adrien in his room. It felt like years since she felt like the teenager she was, overwhelmed by the presence of her crush.

Adrien released a long sigh, then he laid on his back, looking at the ceiling. The designer, awkward moment and mild freakout over, sat down besides him and laid there too. She grabbed his hand. She had to ask.

''Did… did you… umm, your mom. Was she…?'' She muttered, not sure how to phrase the question ´´Did you really just kill your mother?´´ without sounding like a dick. She felt Adrien tense up at her side, but he tightened their hand holding.

''I know Destruction when I see it, now'' He whispered. And she understood. So his mother was really dead in that coffin. Gabriel had preserved her body somehow, but if no amount of riches, technology and magic were able to bring Emily Agreste back after two years, then Adrien's actions made a lot of sense. It was still painful, though. Marinette couldn't imagine having to do the same with one of her parents. And then knowing that the other one was the villain they worked so long to defeat, on top of that.

''It's gonna get better now, I promise'' She whispered back. She wasn't so clear about the details of that promise, but she would make sure that the general idea remained in the days, months and years to come. She was not gonna leave her partner anytime soon. She remembered Plagg's threats too, still not sure how to feel about them. The tiny god had long since fallen asleep, Tikki by his side on their shared cushion.

''I'll never leave, even if the heroes of Paris are not needed anymore, and we don't have our miraculouses, and school ends and we go to different universities and… well if you decide to leave the country I'll have to follow you somehow… I sound like a stalker, don't I?'' Marinette's soft ramblings got interrupted by Tikki's giggles. The girl turned red, but when she looked at the boy on her side she saw that he was sound asleep. For how long, she didn't know. She would make her promises again if she had to.

Adrien woke up with the sunrays on his face, and the smell of cheese and… cookies?. He got up and as soon as he did he noticed Marinette's sleeping form besides him. He felt the heat on his face and ears, then he remembered last night.

''You are going to get sick on the stomach, you stinky sock!'' The boy heard a high pitched voice say. ''I can't help it sugarcube, look at all this cheese!'' Adrien looked where the kwamis were, and saw a mountain of camembert, brie and other kinds of stinky cheese piled up in what was virtually a tiny mountain. There was one made of cookies right beside it. So that's where the smells came from.

''Plagg?'' The boy said, his voice still hoarse from sleeping. Both kwamis instantly looked at him and floated by his and Marinette's side. ''Adrien! look at all this cheese the chef brought just now!'' The tiny cat said, and Tikki rolled her eyes. ''He's gonna get sick if he eats all that'' She said.

Adrien smiled, but almost instantly frowned in thought. ''The chef? Did he see you? why would he come here? I usually grab stuff on my own'' He wondered out loud. Both kwamis looked at each other, then Plagg answered: ''It seems your old man is trying to make up to you now, and what a way to start!'' He said, floating back towards his mountain of cheese. Of course Plagg would be bought out that easily. Adrien rolled his eyes.

Just the mere thought of his father trying to impress him was very...alien, and he was still angry and sad and a lot more that he would take a long time to unpack, but a start was a start. He remembered Marinette's threats against the villain from last night, a new smile crossing his lips. The girl was still sleeping soundly, and he really wanted to talk to her, but she looked so cute too! no way he could wake her up.

''Plagg, would it be too creepy if I took a picture?'' He asked, and Tikki answered instead of the cat ''Very'' Adrien could tell the kwami was half joking, but he took the advice with a shrug and decided to just watch instead. That was not forbidden, right? She was in his bed after all. Heat rose again to his face, and he heard Tikki giggling while she munched on a cookie. For all her nagging, she was not that behind compared to Plagg on the race to finish their mountains of food.

''MmmThepaper goes on the … Yes. Mmmm'' Marinette mumbled on her sleep. Adrien couldn't help but snort this time, trying his best to not wake her up. He had to cover his mouth but apparently the trembling of his body from the coming laughter moved the bed enough. Marinette opened her blue eyes and looked around first, then sat on the bed so fast the sides of her vision went black for a second.

''Adrien?'' She asked. ''Here'' he said. They were mere centimeters apart, and the boy was barely pulling himself together after the laughing fit, he smiled brightly at the girl. Marinette was about to say something but then her eyes widened and she gaped. He frowned. ''What?'' He thought that she maybe was too embarrassed for falling asleep on his bed, but then she pointed at his face and said ''Your … Your teeth''

He said ´´what´´ one more time then touched his teeth, and there, noticing them for the first time, were a couple of tiny fangs. ''You've gotta be kitten me'' he murmured. It was his turn to widen his eyes now, but before he could freak out Marinette put her hands on his shoulders and locked her gaze to his, very serious.

''Adrien'' She said. ''Y-yes?'' He was barely containing his panic. ''Your Chat is showing'' She deadpanned. Seriously? All his worries disappeared in a second, shoulders deflating.

His face must have been very funny because she started laughing, though he wasn't sure if it was a nervous laugh or if she genuinely thought her joke was funny. It was not.

''Marinette this is serious, nails are one thing but fangs? I'm gonna get type casted as a vampire model now!'' He complained, not being able to sound serious at all. Her laugh was contagious.

''I'm so sorry, I always wanted to say that! no matter who my kitty turned out to be, I had to!'' She said after calming down. ''But yeah it's gonna be a pain to conceal… which is why you must not use Destructions full power again'' She was serious for real this time.

''What if we need it again?'' He now knew he could destroy far more than just physical things. He destroyed his own emotions without knowing what he was doing, and then he got rid of his father's grief and connection to his mother, that time fully conscious of his choice. Hawkmoth was no more, but what if they needed his powers again or something else?

''Oh you can use Destruction's form, you are my first kitten that can control it like you did last night'' Plagg said nonchalantly from his now smaller mountain of cheese. ''But you need to be older in order to control it fully, so that there are no more permanent consequences'' Added Tikki quickly.

''Wait, how would we know when he's ready to do it without being punished for it? And what about me? can I do it too?'' Marinette asked, curiosity taking over. Adrien was interested too. If Tikki's outburst from last night was any clue, Creations full form was probably the most magnificent thing in the world. The red kwami was nodding energetically.

''Yes you can Marinette, but your conditions to get there are different than Adrien's. I never mentioned any of this before because, well, you are both too young still. No point in training you with a power that would leave you scarred for life until you are old enough'' Said Tikki. Marinette looked a bit disappointed, but also relieved. She probably hated more the fact that her kwami still held stuff from her than anything else, he knew he detested how Plagg never took him seriously enough to answer any of his questions. But they both learned quickly that if the kwamis didn't want to talk about something, it was for a reason. Knowing he would transform into Destruction would have probably stressed him out even more a couple days ago, instead of doing the opposite.

''So, the past Ladybug's were able to control Creations form?'' Marinette asked anyways, hoping for a bit more information. This topic was out now, anyways. Couldn't hurt to try.

''The bugs tend to have it easier to use Creation for their wishes'' Plagg commented, and Adrien knew him well enough to tell that he sounded a tad bitter. ''But the uses they give to their powers are what separate a good ladybug from a bad one, Marinette'' Said Tikki in a tone that indicated she didn't want more questions. Marinette seemed to understand. She already knew from the guardian that not every wielder of the miraculous was a hero in the past. Hawkmoth was proof of that too.

''My point stands, no more Destruction, Adrien. I mean it'' She said to him. He could get used to her commanding voice saying his name, gladly. That tone usually was reserved for super-heroing. She never spoke to Adrien-him like that. She had a hard time speaking to him at all, specially the first year of knowing each other. Which reminded him that this was Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and the love of his life, all at the same time.

In the last days, they had no chance to figure out that part of their relationship, but now? Maybe. Adrien wanted his ''chat to show'' for he needed that confidence to even start the topic with the girl, but right now he didn't know how. She didn't like Chat's flirting anyways.

''We have work to do this weekend'' Marinette said, pulling Adrien out of his thoughts. She started walking towards the bathroom, stopped for a moment before entering then, red on the face, asked him. ''Can I use it?'' God she was so cute. And silly.

''Nope, totally forbidden'' He said with a cheeky smile. She seemed defeated for a second, then Marinette transformed into Ladybug without using her earrings. Her demeanor changed as she raised an eyebrow and smiled herself. ''Oh? Will you do my hair then, Kitty?'' And as she said that, she undid her pigtails and shook her head, hair flowing around her face. And Adrien knew he lost.

''Well since you are not answering, I have no choice but use your forbidden bathroom'' She said quite sassy as she closed the door behind her. Plagg and Tikki both started laughing, grabbing their tiny stomachs. ''I'm going to enjoy this so much now sugarcube, you have no idea how long I wanted his hopelessly romantic mouth to be shut down like that'' Said the tiny cat, clearing some tears from his eyes.

Adrien decided to ignore them, and change at least his shirt and put some deodorant before Marinette was out of the bathroom. He really needed a shower, but talking to his father and escorting Marinette to her home so she could bathe too was priority. They had a long weekend ahead, as the girl said.

First, they had to let Paris know Hawkmoths reign of terror was finally over.

''And now, for our last segment of the evening, Ladybug and Chat Noir have a big announcement to make!'' Said Nadia Chamak's voice coming from the TV. Lila was not paying attention.

She was on her living room, most of the furniture that wasn't destroyed was moved out already, except for the tv and the couch she was laying on. She had been on a circle of self pity and hatred against the whole world, specially Chat Noir and Ladybug, since yesterday, while she waited for her mother to come for her and finally move out of their destroyed home. The woman was taking her time.

''People of Paris, we are pleased to announce that Hawkmoth has finally been defeated'' At this, the italian girl almost jumped out of the couch, sitting straight with her mouth open, eyes fixed on Ladybugs and Chat Noirs smiling figures on the TV.

''We decided to not disclose his identity to the public, but rest assured knowing that he is getting what he deserves.'' Said the red heroine, Chat Noir as mask of seriousness besides her. ''We will continue providing our services as heroes for the city, Ladybug and Chat Noir will make this the safest city of the world'' Proclaimed the cat. Safe my ass, thought Lila. He destroyed her house! And Hawkmoth was defeated? How was she supposed to get revenge now?!.

Lila was no longer listening to the TV, where there were a lot of questions for the heroes that she no longer had interest in. Who cared that Hawkmoth wasn't punished by the law, losing against a couple of kids must have been bad enough. And now she had no resources. No more akumas, no more easy trust from her classmates, no more Adrien either. For the first time she really regretted a lie she told, when she tried to finally pressure Adrien into a relationship and it ended up backfiring. And now even Gabriel Agreste was useless.

Everything crumbled in just two miserable days, as if the world suddenly turned against Lila. It was not fair, she thought. A thought crossed her mind, suddenly calming her down.

All of this was connected, somehow. She felt that. This was not a coincidence, too many people decided suddenly to stop falling for her plots. She decided on a little experiment, and grabbed her phone.

She dialed and, after a long enough pause to make her worry that he would not answer at all, Gabriel Agreste's voice saluted, tired. ''Hello mister Agreste, I just wanted to let you know that your son is in danger'' She didn't even try to think of a good lie anymore and just go to the point, nothing to lose here. The man on the line sighed, then asked ''What do you mean, miss Rossi?'' She smirked.

''Well, as I told you before, Chat Noir attacked me the other night, and I heard him say that Adrien was his next target. He is in danger, sir!'' She didn't expect him to buy this, but if he did all the better for her. ''I never believed that Hawkmoth was that bad of a guy, he just wanted the miraculous. I think the so called heroes did something to him-'' She got interrupted ''Miss Rossi, It is unfortunate whatever happened to your house two nights ago, but I'll have to ask you to never call me again. Our… relationship, is over'' Said the designer, sounding more tired than usual, then he hanged.

She didn't feel insulted, for she got exactly what she wanted. Just a tiny clue.

She never mentioned to the man that her house was destroyed. It didn't even make the news because her mother used her political influence to cover it up for whatever reason. The only people that knew that her house got decimated were Chat Noir himself, Ladybug and Hawkmoth, as she made him sense her situation enough to get akumatized that day.

Adrien's dad was Hawkmoth, at least until he got defeated. By his own son. It all made sense now, the reason why Chat Noir hated her guts enough to go and try to kill her. The only one she had pissed that much lately was Adrien. And well, Marinette. Who was most likely Ladybug. That's why the moth's identity was not out! It explained everything! Even Marinette's and Ladybug's dislike of Lila from the beginning.

The liar almost patted herself on the back, feeling like a genius for figuring out so many things at once.

Things she could use.

...

Hello!, if you are interested in seeing some fanart of this story, you can check my Tumblr (same name as here, BrassLass).

Thank you for reading this so far!


	11. Mixed feelings

It was monday again, and Adrien still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that just a week ago his life was so different. He now knew who his lady was, he no longer had to deal with Lila's constant presence and his father was an ex-villain. Hawkmoth was no more, replaced by a new responsibility of making sure Paris was the safest city in the world, and a present father.

They both sat that morning on their awkwardly long table, having breakfast together for the first time in years. Adrien was still not sure how to feel about, well, everything. But he was sure that he loved his new diet. Apparently someone (Either his father or Nathalie) decided that the skinny model calorie intake he had before was not ideal for a superhero. Finally.

The blond boy was eating in silence, not picking at his scarce food but enjoying the omelet the chef prepared for him instead. He knew that his past self would hate him for not being happy about his father's presence, Adrien one year-heck one week ago would have been elated by the chance to talk to Gabriel about anything. But now he knew why the man was avoiding him in the first place, and he was having a hard time forgetting it long enough to converse with him.

Gabriel on the other hand, was too ashamed about his own actions now that what-who drove him to villany was gone. It was like a fog lifting, he still remembered everything but he no longer felt the rage, the sadness and the desperation to see Emily again. He was conscious of what Chat Noir did to him, yet he couldn't feel mad about it because, well, he just didn't feel anything regarding the woman anymore. Excepting one thing: Guilt for the fact that he neglected their son for so long while planning to leave him forever. Hitting the boy with a new loss was not going to be completely erased by the fact that he would have had his mother back, he knew that now.

Without the grief clouding his thoughts, Gabriel now was starting to feel the weight of what he was doing as Hawkmoth. The fact that he now could feel everyone's emotions was just an added bonus, if he could call it that. The headache finally started to recede, since he lost the miraculous and the connection was weaker, but he could still tell what Adrien was feeling across the table from him. The boy was a mash of emotions, but whenever they locked gazes, even for a second, anger dominated the rest. And Gabriel knew he deserved it, so he didn't talk either.

Nathalie got tired of the awkwardness and stubbornness, however.

''How are you doing, Adrien?'' She asked, her voice impassive as always. Gabriel was not fooled by this anymore, he knew she was nervous about the boys answer. Among other things.

And she was right to be nervous, for Adrien got a spike in his anger before he controlled it and answered her question with a bit more spite than what was usual for the boy. ''I'm fine, finally slept''. So he was going to use every chance to remind them of their mistakes, Gabriel noted. Well, he would just have to embrace this, too.

''Your schedule doesn't have to be as… full, anymore, Adrien'' Said the man, cautious. The slight joy Adrien felt at hearing that made Gabriel feel even more guilty than when he got angry.

''How full are we talking about here?'' He asked, still suspicious. The boy was not going to allow himself to hope for anything from the man. His father was not sure how to respond, but before he could muster any answer Nathalie saved him.

''I suggest you both organize the new schedule together, I can help too if you need it'' She said, still calm and collected, but Gabriel could tell how happy she really was for this to happen. Nathalie was always the same on the exterior, rarely smiling and showing what was going on in her head, and this control made every emotion that the man could now feel coming out of her clear, as if it was filtered somehow before getting out. It was one of the few people that didn't make his head hurt as much, which he was grateful for.

Adrien, on the other hand, was a mess. The man could only blame himself for that, he supposed. The boy was now probably thinking about his friends and his new free time, judging by his sudden joy. But the anger, sadness and confusion were still there, mixed in a nice soup of migraine for Gabriel. He certainly deserved that silent punishment. He would always be grateful to Ladybug for deciding this instead of sending him to jail. He apologized verbally to Adrien on the weekend, but it was obviously not gonna be enough repenting.

''Son, I-'' Gabriel started saying, but Adrien stood up, interrupting him. ''Sorry, I have to go to school now'' The boy said before picking his bag and going out where the Gorilla was waiting for him in the car. The designer sighed.

''Give him time… give yourself time, too'' Nathalie said from her post next to the door once Adrien was gone. Her support has always been a constant for Gabriel, but the Emily fog didn't let him see how much more was there to the secretary than mere loyalty. She was clear as water to him now, with her clean, perfectly translated feelings reaching him without words needed.

Class was about to start, and to the relief of the heroes that were already sitting in their usual desks, Lila was not making signs of appearing that day. Maybe she was too humiliated by their last conversation and decided to ´´go on a fabulous trip´´ again, Alya thought, smiling to herself. They had not used all their cards against the liar yet, but no need to beat a dead horse that wasn't even there to begin with. They could save their little document of proof Lila is a liar for when they really needed it.

So, since there were no enemies on sight, Alya focused on her new mission. Making sure Marinette finally got together with Adrien. The reporter got so frustrated on the weekend, when they had a chat all four of them to decide what would go on the alibi interview she had to upload to the ladyblog to hide the attack on Lila's house. Yes, the call was about business, but it was so obvious to Alya by how they interacted that Marinette and Adrien still hadn't had a proper talk.

So she decided to drill her best friend about it on the recess.

''What do you mean?'' Asked Marinette, acting as if she really didn't understand the question ´´Hey girl, why aren't you dating Agreste yet?´´. She could be so frustrating sometimes. Scratch that, being frustrated by Marinette's love life was almost a sport for Alya now, she was getting muscles from rolling her eyes so much.

''You know he likes you! And don't pretend you haven't noticed how you two can talk like normal people now, you went from almost sounding like a human being with him after years of training, to jokes and flirting! Just ask him out!'' She said that last part almost like begging. Marinette laughed softly.

''I don't want to rush things, Alya'' She said. Was she trying to make Alya eat her own hair in frustration?

''I dOn'T wAnT To rUsH tHinGs'' The reported imitated her friend with a silly face and voice, and Marinette laughed harder this time. ''Girl, you have been trying to confess to sunshine for more than two years! How is doing it now rushing? And don't tell me it's because you just learned about… your secrets. He has been confessing his feelings for you just as long'' Alya said. Marinette stopped laughing now and just smiled softly.

''It's just… I do love him, and I know he loves me back… I think. But I now know that we are meant to be together. That makes me relax so much, Alya. I can enjoy our current relationship and get to the next step without rushing anything'' Alya could not be mad at Marinette anymore, not when she got that dreamy face, so adorably happy. There was just one little issue.

''Alright… Just one question. Does HE know that?''

''I wonder what the girls are talking about'' Asked Adrien absently. Looking at Marinette laughing so hard, and it not being his doing made him want to go over there and join them.

''Speaking of girls, how are you and Marinette doing?'' Nino said this while wiggling his eyebrows as he got closer to the blond.

''Good I guess. We-'' Nino lifting a single finger to shush him ''Don't say she's just a friend or I'll have to slap you'' He said, obviously joking, but Adrien didn't seem to take it well, he buried his head on his arms. ''Bro?'' The Dj asked.

''I don't know how to tell her'' Nino heard Adrien's muffled voice say. Nino rolled his eyes. ''Just ask her out dude, if it worked for me it will work for you'' Adrien lifts his head.

''You don't get it, I've already asked her out a million times as you know who, but now there are no more secrets between us. If I get rejected this time, it's over!'' Said the blond, frustrated. Nino just started laughing. ''Dude, just ask her out, trust your bro, just do it''

Nino knew Marinette liked Adrien, but apparently the model was not so sure about that. He supposed it was fair, since Chat Noir got blatantly rejected so much in the past it was almost part of their dynamic as heroes. He couldn't just tell him that, however, or the dudette would kill him. This was her ´´secret´´ to share.

''Alright alright'' Said Adrien, looking more hopeful. ''I'll ask her later today, once I get the chance''

''Come in!'' The four heroes heard from inside the shop, and Marinette opened the door for everyone. She alerted Master Fu that they would come that evening, and he was waiting for them with steaming cups of tea and cushions for everyone on the floor.

They had a few things to talk about with the guardian, and Marinette in particular had something she wanted to tell him, and everyone, since a while now.

''I don't think I should be the next guardian'' She blurted once the greetings and the casual talk were done with. Alya, Adrien and Nino looked merely curious at her statement, but Master Fu protested immediately. ''But you have been training so hard, Marinette! and you are the best Ladybug this era could have asked for!'' He said. Marinette shook her head before answering calmly.

''I might be a good Ladybug, but that doesn't mean I make a good guardian. I have been thinking about this for a while now, and everything that happened recently just helped make up my mind about it. I'm not fitted to protect the box AND paris at the same time, it's just too much. And I also don't think I'm the most appropriate to give out miraculous if its needed'' The designer said, and now everyone had something to protest about.

''But you chose me and Nino!'' Said Alya while the DJ nodded energetically. ''Who would be the guardian then? not me'' Said Adrien. He was not too worried about this particular topic, but he was sure that between their friends, Marinette was the best suited for the job.

''You have made excellent choices, Marinette. Why do you think you are not appropriate?'' Asked Fu.

''Because those choices were full of bias, and circumstances, and a lot of luck. I can tell now. I'm Ladybug after all, luck is my thing. That doesn't mean I'm the most wise when it comes to knowing who is fit for each power'' Said Marinette.

''Then who is?'' Asked the Master. And the designer smiled, knowing her answer very well.

''Luka'' She simply said. Her friends seemed to think about it for a second, while Master Fu asked ''Viperion?'' And she nodded.

''Remember the Desperada fiasco?'' Alya and Nino laughed a bit at this, already knowing the story. ''That was the one time my bias overcame my luck, and I chose the wrong person for a miraculous. And It was still circumstance, but in the end I not only learned that Luka is hero material, but that he also knows people'' She remembered the boy who could ´´hear her song´´, she thought it was a cute gimmick of his at first, but once she hanged out more with Luka she learned that it was a second nature for him to just know people's hearts after spending a bit with them, not just hers.

She tried her best to explain this to the others, and they seemed to get more and more convinced that this was not such a crazy idea after all.

Adrien, meanwhile, was imploding internally.

He had forgotten completely about the guitarists existence, and now, hearing Marinette speak so fondly of him, Adrien realized that he must be the mystery boy she liked. Just when he was starting to hope it was him all along, which would have been hilarious, and great, he got this cold water bucket on the head. Even the Desperada event switched tones in his memories now. He first thought Marinette chose him because she liked him, but what if she did that because, who knows, she thought he was similar enough to a snake?.

Adrien's thoughts kept spiraling like that while everyone else decided to go to the Couffaine's house and explain everything to Luka so he could start his training as soon as possible.

''What do you think?'' Marinette asked the model after noticing how quiet he was on their walk. They were almost at the boat-house now, carrying the little box with the viper jewel inside.

''I trust you'' He simply said, and Marinette's heart dropped when she saw how fake his little smile was as he answered.

Unbeknown to the heroes, they had a shadow following to Master Fu's place that evening.

Lila carried her bat, the one that she used to destroy some more furniture at her old also carried a camera. She had no idea what to expect when she followed her enemies after their school day, but one could never be too prepared. She needed some proof of their identities if she wanted to blackmail any of them.

The girl saw them go in the little massage parlor, then almost half an hour later go out. She couldn't hear or see anything of what they said and did inside, but she had the gut feeling they were not getting massages.

After they left, she waited a bit before going in, trying to not alert whoever was still inside. To her surprise, it was an asian old man, who was clearing the tea cups spread on the floor. She was about to leave, disappointed by her own expectations of what she would see inside, when she spotted the box.

The artifact was sitting on a table, it's octagonal shape full of carvings that she recognized from the book Adrien was carrying when they met.

Lila, for the first time in a while, doubted the incredible plan that just formed in her head. This will make her a target of superheroes, not just kids who looked to expose her lies. This would also make her a supervillain even more powerful than Hawkmoth.

She made her choice, embraced it. Lila was smirking when she knocked the old man from the back with her bat, hitting him in the head. She took the box and, after a moment of awe at what she just did, she laughed.

''Easier than making Marinette mad'' She said as she left the little shop with her stolen treasure, not even glancing once at the elder she just left unconscious on the floor.


	12. A promising future

If Luka had to define himself in one word, the one he'd pick would be ´´chill´´. He usually didn't stress to much about anything, a not very strict parent and quiet sister were part of the reason why, but he owed a lot of his lack of anxiety to his music. Playing guitar helped him define his own problems and bring them into a realm he could understand easily, making solving them a joy instead of a chore.

It wasn't working much today, though.

He had left his university applications on the table for the fifth time of the day to play guitar. No matter how long he thought and mustered about his future, he couldn't find the courage to finally decide what to do with his life. It didn't help that today was the last day to apply to one of his options, the music conservatoire his mother always wanted him to go to.

Luka loved music, but he had some doubts about making it his livelihood. He was almost certain that a future in that industry might not be what he wanted after all. Music was his way of communicating and understanding the world, the thought of also using it to produce the means by which he would live the rest of his life was daunting and not very pleasing. He knew himself enough to be sure that if he abused his love for music he would burn out quickly, and lose something even more valuable than his means of making money.

So he researched and got attracted to other ideas, other paths. And those were sitting on the table, next to the conservatoir invitation his mother procured for him. It wasn't even a matter of disappointing her, they already had a talk a long time ago about his feelings on the matter and, as usual, she understood perfectly what he meant. After all, she lived on renting various property around Paris rather than on her music.

But Luka wanted not just to make money, he wanted a purpose. Something that would feed his music the same way his music made his life meaningful. It was a cycle he knew he wanted so hard, the choices on the table were a daunting sight for him these last couple of weeks.

Sighing, Luka was about to pick up the papers to look at them for the sixth time when the bell of the boat-house rang. He welcomed the distraction with a shrug and got up to answer the door.

The mostly smiling group consisting of Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste and the wonderful Marinette Dupain-Cheng were standing on his front door. Luka could tell that they meant business, despite the smiles, by the way the reporter immediately asked if there was anyone with him on the house.

''Just me and my choices, come in'' Said the guitarist, holding the door open to let the four teens in. He was surprised by their sudden visit, specially because it was obvious to him now that they were not looking for their classmate, but for him.

''What can I help you guys with? I have juice if anyone wants some'' He didn't wait for them to ask and started pouring the orange liquid on four glasses. Marinette, Alya and Nino grabbed theirs first, Adrien hesitating but deciding to join them after a moment. Curious, Luka thought. Why was Adrien so uncomfortable? All of them would come regularly to the boat house when Kitty section was active, which stopped just a couple months ago, when they all decided it was consuming too much of their time with too little reward in terms of fun. They had decided to keep in touch and visit the Couffaine household just to have a good time, but it didn't seem to Luka that this was one of those occasions.

''My mom took Juleka to one of her modeling audiences, and they probably won't be back until a couple hours'' Said the older boy. The other four looked at each other, and then Marinette started looking for something on her bag.

Luka was not sure what to expect her to bring out, but the very recognizable for him little wooden box was not it. He couldn't help but gape at the implications.

''Viperion, I- We would like to recruit you permanently as a miraculous holder'' The designer announced with the grandiose tone Ladybug used everytime she wanted people to trust her. It was a very heroic and kind of dramatic way of talking, and it matched Marinette's face so well Luka felt pretty stupid for not connecting the dots before.

It all came to him at the same time. Why he admired the girl so much from the beginning, he always felt there was something very special about her. He thought it was love at first but as the time passed and he got to know her-And her situation with Adrien- better he realized it was just a profound admiration he couldn't help but feel for her.

''Luka?'' Asked Marinette, worried since he didn't react except for taking the box from her hands after a bit. He snapped out of the information bomb that was exploding inside his head and opened the box. Sass came out of it and didn't seem to care that this was not a private reunion with his usual holder, saluting him as always then taking his spot on his shoulder. Luka looked at each of the four people in the room with him with new eyes.

''Ladybug?'' He said, and Marinette nodded happily. ''And you must be Chat Noir, Carapace and Rena Rouge'' He said this pointing at each of them as he said their hero names.

Alya snorted and commented ''Wow, he really IS good at this'' She said with a very sassy tone, looking at Marinette with a cheeky smile. The designer giggled while shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

''It's kind of obvious once the… veil.. is lifted'' Said Luka. And this time Nino joined on the laughs.

''That's the joke, dude'' The DJ explained, and even Adrien, who seemed a bit down for the whole interaction, smiled this time. Apparently, making light fun of him was enough to lift the model's spirits.

''Sorry… I'm still a bit shocked, I guess. And it's not even that big of a surprise. I always knew there was something special about you, Marinette'' He said fondly looking at the girl. She blushed a little bit, and Luka bit his lip. He did not want Adrien to feel bad, and him making Marinette blush (As she did every time someone complimented her sincerely) was not a good move. There was some tension on the blond boy that he did not want to help make worse if he could avoid it.

''Why reveal all of this to me all of a sudden? If I'm being honest, I thought I'd never even see Sass again, since Hawkmoth was defeated. Congratulations, by the way'' He tried not to make Marinette and the rest feel bad for considering he might want to at least say goodbye to the kwami he fought with a couple times in the past, but he also was sincerely happy the villain was finally dealt with, so his comment didn't come across as demanding.

''Well, with recent… events.. we earned some agency on the decisions we make regarding the future of the miraculous and the heroes of Paris'' Marinette started explaining ''There must be someone that guards the box that contains all of the jewels that are not being used, and that someone also needs to be able to judge who will wield them once necessity arises'' This speech seemed very planned to Luka, specially coming from Marinette. ''I was supposed to be the next guardian, but while training for the it and being a hero at the same time, I realized that one of those roles is just not for me'' Ahh, so this was what this was all about.

''You want me to be this… guardian of the miraculous?'' The guitarist asked, and Nino and Alya started nodding, but Marinette and Adrien weren't so eager.

''I know from first hand experience that this is not an easy chore, and it's a lifelong commitment too, just like you keeping Sass would be. Out of all of us, we agreed that you are the most appropriate to be the next guardian, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to'' She said, and he genuinely felt like he had the option to say no. He wasn't going to, not in a million years, but he was grateful for the choice. This was what Luka was missing: A purpose.

''I accept'' He said without hesitating, and the three of them that weren't Adrien cheered, the boy merely smiled fakely and pretended to celebrate. Luka couldn't tell what was wrong with the boy with just a glance, but his gut told him that this song had more to do with Marinette than anything else.

The group talked for a couple hours before they got interrupted by Juleka and Anarka finally arriving at the boat-house. Luka learnt a lot from that conversation, mainly how they came to defeat Hawkmoth and who the man was. It was a lot of information to digest, and he would surely spend the next days wondering about his future with all of these changes in mind. He was not terribly worried, though. If anything, he got it easy. He didn't have a villain splitting his mind and he could learn about magic and mystic forces without other supernatural worries.

Anarka insisted on preparing dinner for the whole group, but Nino and Alya had a date, so it was just Marinette and Adrien who stayed. Juleka concealed really well her curiosity about the whole visit. Luka had to be ready for the interrogatory later that night.

The meal was pleasant, and they talked mostly about their futures, a topic Anarka was very eager to indulge in since her own son was graduating school soon and Juleka was already making steps toward her dreams. So she naturally wanted to know more about how the other kids were doing. Adrien didn't talk much, but Marinette saved him by explaining her plans to study fashion design and become the next big star of that fancy world. This was enough fuel for the whole dinner, his mother excited to fantasize about all the collaborations Marinette, Juleka and Adrien would do together one day.

Adrien was all smiles, nods and eating, but Luka caught him looking at him from time to time. When the blond noticed he was caught, he would go back to looking at Marinette or his meal...Mostly Marinette. The guitarist decided that he would not meddle if he was not asked to. They had to solve this little issue they had, whatever it was, on their own. He just procured not to appear flirty with Marinette again.

After their dinner at the boat- house and saying goodbye to Marinette once they split to go to their respective homes, Adrien couldn't help but facepalm and scold himself. He was being such a brat! Marinette could like whoever she wanted to, he didn't have to treat Luka as if he was an enemy, specially not when the older boy took everything they told him so well. He should be grateful for having someone to take all that responsibility from Marinette's shoulders, he should be happy for her.

''Just eat some cheese and you will feel better'' Said plagg once they were inside the mansion and he was free to float around. The little kwami didn't seem to care that someone that wasn't his father or Nathalie might see him.

Adrien just grunted at the comment, not wanting to argue with the tiny god as they usually did when he gave his useless cheese advice.

''Adrien'' Said Gabriel's voice in front of him, he was coming down from the stairs he was currently climbing. The man stopped in his tracks, nodded in salute to Plagg, who just ignored him, and then when Adrien attempted to just pass him and go to his room, he talked again. ''You have been feeling… conflicted, today, son. I could sense you were trying to conceal your anger and sadness and that's not-''

''Can you please not pretend to be a father today? I'm tired, you had the chance to make me stop pretending everything was fine when YOU were the source of most of my problems, it's a bit late now for that'' Adrien interrupted him, and then continued to his room, not wanting to see the hurt or lack of it on his father's face. Whatever reaction the man had to his outburst, they would both hurt the boy, so he decided to pretend he wasn't there at all.

''Harsh'' Whispered Plagg, more like a joke but it made Adrien instantly feel guilty anyways.

He opened the door to his bedroom and saw Ladybug sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

''Marinette? What are you doing here?'' All his anger towards his father dissipated, replaced by sudden worry. Was she here to scold him about his attitude at Luka's house? Was she finally going to reject him?

''We need to talk about something, Kitty'' She said, serious. Oh no. Thought Adrien. She got up and, as he was paralyzed in front of the door, she closed it then stood besides him before talking again.

''I saw you… um… your smiles were weird again today, and I was worried something bad was going on with you, so I came to let you know that you can tell me anything that bothers you'' She said. She was hesitant to tell him that she was afraid he might lose control again, but he could read between lines enough.

''Not you too'' He complained while his hands dragged his face down. Ladybug looked confused at Plagg, who just shrugged and said. ''His dad wanted to talk to him about the same just now. He got shut down pretty quickly'' The tiny god said that last part with mean joy. Ladybug cringed.

''I don't know if I like that I agree with him on anything… but I do agree with him. You should take all the support that is offered to you, Adrien'' She blushed a little after using his name. He realized now how rare that was since they revealed themselves, same as her stumbling words. It was as if she was on Ladybug mode since then, and Marinette just now got summoned back by her saying ´´Adrien´´ instead of her usual nicknames for Chat Noir.

''And you know you have all my support, too. All of it'' She empathized her last words. Plagg took this as a cue to disappear through the door, probably headed to the kitchen to get some cheese.

''What does that mean?'' He asked awkwardly. He was feeling the heat rise on his face and ears as she overcame her shyness (Though she was still pink under the mask) and got closer to him to whisper. ''It means I'll be here for you forever, silly kitty'' There it was, Ladybug and her amazing confidence again.

''A-as a friend?'' God he was being really stupid, but he couldn't help it, she was so close!

There was an awkward pause while she looked at him in the eyes, then she doubled down giggling uncontrollably. Oh no, he broke her.

Adrien tried to calm her down by placing a hesitating hand on her back while she was almost on the floor. ''Marinette?'' He asked.

''Ridiculous!'' She claims while clearing a tear from her eye, finally getting up. Then, she made a fast movement and she was grabbing Adrien's waist to get him closer to her. Ladybug then placed her other hand on his cheek softly, and he was sure he looked as red as her suit on that moment.

''Just a very, very good friend'' She said, then smirked, then kissed him.

Lila had a problem.

No, not the obvious one to anyone who knew exactly what she had just done that evening, but one of a more practical… and magical nature.

While she sneaked on the streets of Paris with her stolen treasure, she heard faint screaming voices on her head. It got worse and worse as she moved and by the time she finally reached her new apartment, it was no longer a faint scream but as if she was at a concert and no one was enjoying the music. The headache it provoked was horrendous.

Her mother, as usual, was not home, so she just headed to her room and tossed the box on her bed as soon as possible. The screaming instantly stopped, and her fears were confirmed. It was coming from the box. Well then, she would have to work around that.

Lila went to the kitchen, where the chef ignored her, and grabbed a couple stove gloves. She put them on before attempting to open the box back on her room, which, to her relief, it did. Almost all the compartiments had a jewel of some sort, excepting the obvious ones, and one she did not recognize. Judging by the decoration, it was the snake miraculous, probably.

She didn't pay too much mind to that little detail, and went to grab the first one that caught her attention, the Bee miraculous. Oh she would enjoy making Chloe salty by using this one first.

But as soon as she grabbed the jewel, there was a single, piercing scream drilling her brain even stronger than before. Gloves or not, there was no way to hold the hair comb and not hear the horrible sound. It was too unbearable, but she tried to call for the transformation anyways. That was a bad idea.

Lila cried in pain as a terrible fire-like sensation scorched her whole body, and it only stopped once she let go of the miraculous, dropping it to the floor. Once she overcame her shock, she madly tried with the others, getting the same results.

''Why?!'' She screamed at no one in particular.

''It seems you are cursed, too'' A little sad voice said from behind her. Lila spun and saw a blue bird-looking creature floating on her room. She let out a little yelp, what was that thing?!

''What are you?'' She asked, eyeing the thing suspiciously, once she calmed down. She was tired already from all the pain inflicted by the jewels and her hope and patience were running thin.

''I'm Duusu!'' Said the creature, now suddenly happy. ''The peacock kwami''

Lila thought for a good minute, ignoring the manic chatting the little creature started spouting. He or she was saying something about her room being super nice, nothing important, while excitedly floating around. The girl instead decided to look for the peacock jewel. A broken brooch. She hesitated for a moment before taking the gloves off and touching it. No screams.

Hopes up, she demanded the little creature to transform her. A blinding blue light filled her room for a moment and then she suddenly felt better. She was no longer in pain, stronger than normal and she had the certainty that she could jump really high if she wanted to. So this was what a real miraculous felt like? being Akumatized was one thing, but having full control of real power was amazing! and this was all hers now.

Lila looked at herself in the full body mirror on her room and was fascinated by her new form. Her skin was blue, and so was her hair, which was simulating a peacock tail on her head. She was wearing an extremely elegant dress, decorated by feathers. She moved while admiring her new looks and noticed that she could deploy a fan from one part of her dress, from where she guessed the Amoks came from.

''Well hello, Pavona'' She said, concealing her smile behind the feathered fan. The little creature was no longer there, and she assumed she fused with it to get her powers.

She was still frustrated about not being able to use the rest of the jewels, but she would find a solution for that soon enough.

Pavona needed some minions, after all.


	13. Just another thursday

Chloe was preparing to enjoy another class day without the school's liar presence when her mood was ruined.

Adrikins and Dupain-Cheng entered the classroom, together. Holding each others hands. That alone would have Chloe annoyed, even if she gave up on Adrien a long time ago, she still liked to ´´claim´´ she was his closest girl-friend. But no, it wasn't just that.

While everyone cheered and whistled at the new couple, except sabrina ,bless her, Chloe noticed a couple little weird things on Adrikins smile. He hadn't smiled a lot lately, with Lila being a brat and all, but now that he did she briefly got a glimpse at the blonds tiny but surely there fangs.

Now, Chloe was not the best at math, but she could add two and two together when it was on her face like this. Appearance changes like those cat-like teeth and that atrocious black manicure would not go unnoticed by her in any reality. Adrien had to be Chat Noir or a really big fan at least. Chloe was willing to bet sabrina that the first was the case.

And this bothered Chloe, not because he mocked her usually when they interacted as heroes before, or because he never came back with her Pollen even though he knew how much she sincerely missed the little god. Those things hurt, but the main thing that ruined Chloe's day in her mind, was the realization that if she discovered this so easily, then it would only be a matter of time before everyone that interacts with Adrien knew sooner or later that he was the cat themed hero.

She was clever enough to know she wasn't clever enough, Max was still the smartest person in the class and if she figured it out, the little genius would be next for sure. She also had the first hand experience of having everyone know her secret identity, and the consequences of that. Sure, Hawkmoth was defeated, but the heroes did not retire. If there was a good enough reason for Ladybug not to give her Pollen back, then Adrien's miraculous would be taken too if people figured him out, right?

Something in Chloe awoke on that moment. She realized that her childhood friend depended on his powers to be free of his father, that was probably why he hadn't exploded yet. She knew she would if she had a fraction of his schedule. So who cared if Dupain-cheng won the race to Adrikins heart somehow, good for her. Whatever. Chloe had a mission now, one that Marinette probably didn't even suspect about. She would protect Chat Noirs identity however she could, starting with talking to him about his new fashion choices.

Chloe smirked, surprising and worrying Sabrina, who was the only one paying attention to her reaction to the new couple. The queen was still relevant, miraculous or not, she had a connection to one of Paris heroes not even he knew about. Yet.

''You could have told me ages ago, Nino!'' Adrien was half complaining to his best friend. The four of them were sitting on their usual covert spot at recess, discussing the recent development in Marinette and Adrien's relationship.

Nino laughed and said. ''Naa dude, that was not my secret to share, you should know a thing or two about that stuff!'' He joked, but he kind of promised with Alya that if Adrien and Marinette were not together by next week, with all the stuff they knew now, they would intervene. He was certainly thankful it did not come to that.

''He's right, Marinette tried for years to tell you, it would have been too cruel to take that from her'' Said Alya. The designer was red while hiding her face on her boyfriends arm. Adrien was trying to play it cool, but Alya could tell he was flustered too.

''I bet Chloe is mad right now'' Commented Nino, and Marinette showed her face again just in time for Alya to catch her guilty look. Oh, right, Chloe was Queen Bee. And Marinette, or rather Ladybug, had been ignoring her since at least half a year. Alya had to give it to the rich girl, she had not thrown a tantrum about that in a while, making everyone forget her conundrum. In fact, Chloe had been almost invisible lately. It was as if the blonde being mean made her shine somehow, but since she had been behaving a lot lately she was almost like a second Sabrina.

''She didn't look that mad'' Said Marinette, apparently she was the only one that cared to look at Chloe while everyone else was cheering. But it might also be Marinette trying to make herself feel better. That girl was too soft sometimes.

''You don't owe Chloe a thing, Marinette'' Said Alya, and Nino nodded. Adrien didn't seem to agree, though.

''We defeated Hawkmoth and completely forgot about her, Alya'' Said the model. ''She really liked being Queen Bee, and admired Ladybug''

''Well, we can pay her a visit later so she can talk her kwami or something, right now it's time to celebrate! What are the plans for later?'' She tried to force the mood and topic switch, and wiggled her eyebrows at the couple while asking that last part. ''Oh! we could go on a double date! Nino and I know this place that-'' She stopped when she saw Marinette shaking her head.

''Our first date will be just the two of us'' She said, her voice kind of shaky and she was red again. ''We- We will just go to Andre's for Ice-cream then to my house to tell my parents and do Adrien's hands…'' Marinette said, while looking at Adrien as if trying to confirm their plans one more time before making it official.

''Y-yeah'' Was the only thing the blond said ''We don't want to do anything too fancy, we have a lot to Chat about after all'' Chat Noir was who said that last thing, and it was like a magic spell. Suddenly Ladybug was there without transforming, as Marinette rolled her eyes at the lame pun and pushed her boyfriend playfully. Alya and Nino laughed at the antics. Their friends had some crazy dynamics going on, it was going to be fun from now on to see them try to decide which one was the dominant one, the shy new couple or the cat and the bug.

After getting demolished by André's bear hug of happiness and eating their ice-cream, Marinette and Adrien made it to the bakery. Marinette could tell the blond was nervous, and was enjoying every moment of it. It was that or get anxious herself because she knew her parents were going to make an embarrassing show of themselves once they learned the news.

''How was school?'' Asked Sabine without looking up from the cookies she was decorating. The couple entered the place and Marinette noticed Adrien relaxed, the smells probably getting to him like they did to her every single day.

''It was good, can I have some extra cookies today?'' She said, and her mother finally looked up. ''Oh, Adrien sweetheart! hello!'' And as soon as the woman said that, Tom peeped from his spot behind the counters and joined the conversation ''Adrien! welcome! are you staying for dinner?'' The burly man has always liked Adrien a lot, and everytime the blond showed his face on the bakery Tom would invite him to dinner. It was his attempt at playing matchmaker, but that was over today, Marinette thought.

''I said cookies, not dinner dad'' She said, but then quickly added ''Unless you want to stay for dinner?'' She asked Adrien, holding his hand, and by then her parents surely must have noticed, right?. It was the first time she just accepted her fathers idea without rejecting it before Adrien could. And it wasn't just because she now knew Gabriel Agreste would not be mad if Adrien wasn't home early.

Tom and Sabine made a little ´´O´´ with their mouths, and then the room exploded, much like the classroom did that same morning. Sabine hugged Marinette while Tom gave Adrien his second bone crushing of the day after André. They congratulated them and all the awkwardness faded until her father started babbling about the wedding, the number of kids and their names. Marinette took that as a cue to grab Adrien and drag him towards her room.

''Your parents are so nice, I know I've told you that a million times by now, but I never feel like I'm unwelcomed here'' Said Adrien once they were alone again. Marinette immediately started looking for her nail polish, mostly to avoid Adrien's gaze now that they were alone again. He could not see her face while she looked around her things, but if he did he would see how red she was.

Tikki came out of her usual hiding place in her bag and floated next to Marinette. ''He is very red too'' The tiny god commented, giggling. ''Tikki!'' Scolded Marinette. Adrien definitely heard that, because he started coughing awkwardly and Plagg was giggling too.

''Hey sugarcube, wanna go check the pantry? I can smell the cheese wheels from here'' Suggested the cat, and Tikki just nodded and followed him. She didn't even care for cheese! She was just leaving on purpose! Marinette thought. She found the color of polish she was looking for, no more excuses to not look at Adrien anymore.

The boy was standing in her room, but instead of just awkwardly being there as she imagined he was, he was actually looking at her photos. She would be eternally grateful for the maturing she did in the last year, taking some of the model's pictures out and replacing them with her friends and the designs she was somewhat proud of. He had seen them already, of course. She would never forget that shameful moment from her life, but at least she wouldn't repeat the experience.

Adrien was smiling looking at the pictures ''You know, If I didn't instantly fall in love with Ladybug like I did that first fight, I would have ended up falling for you pretty quickly, Marinette'' He said.

Marinette didn't know how much she wanted to hear that until she did. It was stupid, but she realized she was worried Adrien only liked her sassy and confident Ladybug self, and not toned down, normal Marinette. Did he have the same worries about her not liking his stupid Chat persona? She wondered. Because he was in for a surprise. She snorted.

''That's too bad, I would have responded to your feelings pretty fast, Kitty, but a blond boy already gave me his umbrella and took my heart'' She said, and enjoyed the confusion in Adrien's face while he tried to think who she was talking about. Then his light bulb turned on.

''You've liked me since THAT long? Why you never told me?'' He asked, finally smiling and getting closer and closer to her. ''Well I was busy trying to figure out how to talk to you first'' She laughed, but inside she was all butterflies. ''I could have hired a translator'' He joked, and Marinette knew he didn't care to hear her reply to that because the next instant he was kissing her, one of his hands softly caressing her cheek.

After their little make out session, all the awkwardness in the room vanished. It was probably the opposite effect that Marinette expected after such… encounter. But they got to talking and joking and flirting again in no time, while the girl started working on his nails. Her mom brought them warm cookies with heart shapes, and since Adrien's hands were unavailable for the moment, Marinette had to feed him, which ensued a tirade of new jokes between them.

Adrien even tried, a la Chat Noir, to share one cookie mouth to mouth. Marinette would have blushed just thinking of the mere interaction if it wasn't for the silly way he wiggled his eyebrows while holding his end of the cookie on his mouth. They laughed so hard that they couldn't even stay still enough to share the pastry before it finally broke after too many failed attempts.

''I will need to buy more of this color'' Marinette commented while finishing the last layer of nail polish. She had needed three in total to hide the black that was now a permanent part of her boyfriends hands.

''I'll get more, how long does this stay on?'' He asked, and then they started talking about the possibility of going for permanent polish when Adrien's phone rang.

''It's Nino, can you answer for me Bugaboo?'' The model said, he didn't want to risk ruining the manicure again as he had done just moments ago while trying to grab a cookie on his own. Marinette finished up his last nail before grabbing the phone and answering.

''Dudes, check the news'' Said a distressed sounding Nino on the speaker. Marinette frowned but got up instantly and turned on her dormant computer. She put the news channel and immediately gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

''What is it?'' Asked Adrien while getting up from the floor to look at the screen. On it, Nadia Chamak was talking while the image of an ambulance in front a familiar massage parlor was behind her. They didn't hear the whole note, but the words ''coma'', ''elderly man'' plus the image were all the heroes needed to reach the correct conclusion.

''Master Fu!''


	14. What did they get into?

Luka found the group at the park that night. It was the start of spring, but the nights were still chilly enough to warrant the need of a light jacket. The older boy could see the others breaths in the air while they argued and he could already guess about what before he was able to hear the conversation.

''What took you so long?'' Asked Ayla, looking and sounding very frustrated. Luka did not get mad at her reaction to his late arrival, however.

''My mom moved the house, and the subway is closed'' He simply said, joining the little circle they formed at the park.

They were in front of the hospital they suspected Master Fu was admitted in, already decided on their group call that they needed to visit and see how the man really was.

''Alright let's go then'' Said Nino, but Marinette stopped him, grabbing his hand before he could leave their circle.

''Wait, we need to think first. Of an excuse for why we are visiting him when we are not his relatives'' She said, and Luka couldn't help but agree. Then Adrien said ''We need to be careful, we don't know anything of what happened, though I have my suspicions'' His tone was dark and low, which surprised Luka immensely. He never thought the model could sound so scary, but there he was, looking like he wanted to punch someone in the face.

''Who do you think did this? Maybe he got a stroke or something, he's an old man'' Said Nino, trying to calm the mood. It did not succeed, Adrien and Marinette both shaking their heads as the DJ spoke.

''He's not just any old man, he's the guardian'' Said Adrien, then Marinette continued ''He's over 188 years old too, protected by the magic of the miraculous box. He's way past getting a stroke''

Wait, so being the guardian made you live longer? Why did no one mention that to Luka before? He could not ask that immediately, however, as they were already discussing how they could get into the Master's room.

''We can just say we are his regular clients, to the massage parlor, I mean'' Says Marinette

''But we still don't know who did this, maybe it's some kind of bait'' Said Alya, the girl seemed to be on Adriens side on the ´´lets be as cautious as possible with this´´ strategy, while Nino and Marinette really wanted to just visit the man as soon as possible.

''Guys, shouldn't we check his house first?'' Suggested Luka ''You said he had the miraculous box in there, if it's gone, then we know that someone did this to him and knew about him being the guardian…and if that's the case, then visiting him publicly is not a good idea, like Alya says''

There was silence once the guitarist finished speaking. Then one by one they agreed to what Luka said and started walking towards the little massage parlor. It was pretty late, Luka knew for sure they wouldn't even get in the hospital if they tried.

''Adrien, you think Lila did this, don't you?'' Says Nino while they walked, making everyone look at the blond boy, waiting an answer.

''Just think about it guys, she has done some pretty messed up stuff already. And she has it against all of us now, she could have just followed us to Master Fu yesterday'' Adrien was talking as if he knew no one would listen to him, but after some hesitation, the rest seemed to be on board with the theory.

''Hitting an old man is a tad extreme…even for Lila'' Commented Nino, still doubtful.

''She almost got Marinette expelled'' Said Adrien, frowning with the mere memory of that.

Luka had some clues about this Lila person from what Marinette vented to him some time ago, and judging by Juleka's stories about the girl, this person was a major manipulator at the very least. But plotting to get someone as sweet as Marinette expelled? He looked at the girl questioningly.

''She planted some exams answers on my backpack and made it look like I cheated. Then she pretended I pushed her down the stairs'' This earned some gasps from the other teens. Apparently Luka wasn't the only one lacking information about this Lila person.

''That bitch'' Murmured Alya, hands turned into fists.

''I don't want to defend her, but I have gotten to the wrong conclusions before… Don't get me wrong, I think Adrien is onto something here, but we need proof before we do anything'' Said Marinette, and after a couple comments about how sure they were it was Lila who did this, the group went quiet again until they reached the massage parlor.

To their surprise, the place was occupied by the police. This confirmed it was an attack and not just an accident, at least. It was weird that at almost 3 AM they were still in the scene, Luka thought.

''We can't just go in…'' Murmured Alya. They were looking into the area hiding from the one officer posted on the door. Luka couldn't help but notice that this officer seemed to be a very tough one. He had a nasty scar on his face and was way more armed than he had ever seen an officer being in public. Weird.

''What if they take the miraculous as evidence or something? This could be bad'' Said Marinette. She was starting to panic a little bit, which happened from time to time with the girl.

''I can get in'' Said Adrien, calming the designer down as soon as he said it. ''Chat Noir is very sneaky, after all. I can see in the dark too, so I can just check if the box is still there and leave''

''I could put an illusion up to make myself invisible or something'' Countered Alya. Certainly her powers were good for this too, thought Luka.

''But you would still make sounds, let me do this'' Said the blond, and he didn't let anyone else argue with him because he just silently transformed into Chat Noir and leaped up.

It was the first time Luka saw that with his own eyes. One thing was knowing who these people were, another was witnessing them transform in front of him. Apparently he wasn't the only one impressed, Alya and Nino looking a bit surprised too. Marinette was all business, as she always was when the situation was dire. Her little panic moment a thing of the past as soon as Adrien took charge. Luka smiled, thinking that those two were a duo for so long, they probably were used to each others weaknesses by now. Marinette getting stressed before any ideas came to her was one of them.

They waited a tense couple of minutes, not daring to even whisper anymore and just listening in towards the house to pick up if anything happened. The officer didn't move from his post, not altered by anything strange. Luka wondered if Chat was already inside or if he was taking his time.

''It's not there'' They heard from behind them, and all of them jumped at the same time. Chat Noir really was sneaky when he wanted to. He smirked and then de-transformed, keeping the very Chat-like expression up as Adrien replaced the hero.

''Maybe they took it? The police, I mean'' Suggested Nino.

The grim thought of anyone taking the box was not made better by theorizing the police did it. Specially if they were more like that one scary officer at the front of the parlor than like, say, officer Raincomprix.

Getting away from the place, they ended up deciding that they would sneak as heroes to check on the guardian. They just needed one of them to get the room number from someone inside the hospital. No need to risk all of their identities. After some arguing, Adrien convinced everyone that since the guardian already posed as his Chinese teacher, it would not be as suspicious for him to try to visit him as himself. Marinette had the hardest time agreeing to that, saying that he was taking too many risks, but in the end they decided it was the most logical solution.

Once they said their goodbyes for the night, Alya and Nino transformed into Rena Rouge and Carapace and got on their way to their respective houses. Luka wanted to facepalm himself, of course they could do that… That was why he was the only one being late, with the subway closed and all.

Before Marinette and Adrien did the same, however, Luka stopped them.

''Wait, Marinette… Is there anything I can do in the meantime to learn more about the guardian and the miraculous? I don't like just waiting for you guys to solve this issue if I can help it'' He said. Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, then they both blurted at the same time: ''The book!''

''What book?'' Asked the guitarist.

''There is a book about the miraculous, it explains many of their secrets… Master Fu had it on his cellphone, but your father still has the original, right?'' Marinette said that last part looking at Adrien, who nodded, serious.

''I'll get it from him'' Said the model. ''It's not gonna be easy to translate or understand, though…. I looked at it before, but I can ask my father if he knows something too''

''That's great, thank you'' Said Luka, and then they said their goodbyes. Both heroes transformed together and disappeared into the night. Luka stood there for a bit.

''Massster?'' Sass came out of his hiding spot after a while. ''Sorry, Sass. I was just thinking''

Luka transformed and Viperion found quickly his way to his home. He was worried, but exhaustion won for that night as he imagined it did for the other heroes too. As soon as the guitarist landed on his bed, he fell asleep.

Marinette found it to be impossible to sleep that night. Her mind was not quieting down anytime soon, not until she had some answers at least. She spent an hour on her bed, really putting in the effort to sleep: She was exhausted and had school the next day after all, but she couldn't stop thinking about this new problem, moving back and forth on her bed. By 4AM she gave up.

Tikki was sleeping soundly on her makeshift bed. They had already discussed the situation together and agreed that they would need all the energy the next day to find a solution. Marinette felt like a failure for not even being able to do that. She was going to hate herself for this the next day, but she picked her phone.

Marinette started at her and Adrien's chat room on her cellphone. She smiled remembering how Adrien wanted to call it ´´Ladynoir´´ and their whole conversation about how risky that was. Marinette marveled at the sudden realization that she finally had the love of her life, he loved her too this whole time and all of this happened in less than a week. She supposed that if there was one thing she could thank Lila for, was for finally saying one lie too many and starting this whole ordeal, which culminated in her finally being reunited with her partner.

Just the mere thought of Adrien and Chat Noir being the same person still gave Marinette a weird, happy and warm feeling inside her but also made her want to giggle like an idiot. Her crush was such a dork, and her silly kitty was such a kind, amazing person. She felt like she had the best of both worlds, her fear of having to choose one or the other vanished forever.

Her thoughts got interrupted when she noticed the three little dots on the ´´Cookies&Cheese´´ chatroom on her phone. She smiled, seeing him delete and then keep writing a couple times before his message finally made it through.

''Mari?'' Was all she read, and she snorted as quietly as she could. So much trouble just to say her name.

''You can't sleep either?'' She asked him, receiving the fastest ''No'' ever typed.

Then, as Marinette smiled at her phone in that early wednesday morning, she heard a sound coming from her balcony.

Seriously? She thought, getting up. She tiptoed to avoid waking Tikki up, and opened her ceiling door.

''...The stars are amazing… Want some?'' Said Chat Noir while sitting on her balcony, handing her what looked like a piece of candy. He had his phone on the other hand.

Marinette smirked, then closed the door while looking at him in the eyes as she did. She tried to put on a disapproving face, but her cheeks wanted to smile. The girl quickly grabbed one of her bed mattresses and then opened the ceiling door again to climb and sit beside her partner under the stars.

''How long have you been here?'' She asked after accepting one of his candies. She was pretty sure she never saw Adrien Agreste eating candy before, but hey, this was Chat Noir. A bit more of a wild card.

''Just a couple minutes… I couldn't sleep, so I came here and was not sure if you were awake, so I just texted…'' He was a bit hesitant, probably because he thought she would judge him for being here uninvited.

''It's kind of hard to relax when we had such a chaotic night…'' She commented as she rested her head on his shoulders, hoping he would take that as her being happy for his presence rather than the opposite. The soft purring that started soon after was all she needed.

''I was thinking'' He said after a couple minutes of enjoyable silence ''Where is Bunnyx?'' Marinette frowned. ''What about her?'' She asked, lifting her head to look at his profile.

''Well, she knows the future and all that, right? If she's not here helping us with the miraculous box… then we haven't failed yet, right? Do you think she knows?'' Wow, thought Marinette. She had been busy thinking more on the lines of ´´Fuck Lila´´ and now she felt guilty for completely forgetting this angle. It was an excellent question, but it raised a topic she was not so happy to go back to.

''Maybe this is part of the future she knows… Or maybe something else happened to her, I don't really know, only seen her twice'' Marinette knew her mistake as soon as she said it. Chat Noir was not aware of the second time Bunnyx had helped them. He let her know of this by just looking at her with a single eyebrow raised. She sighed.

''There was one time I screwed up bad enough, Bunnyx had to come back in time to make me fix it, because I made her… our future disappear… '' She started explaining. Chat was patient and didn't interrupt her, but she could tell he wanted to. ''She tossed me into a Paris desolated by an Akuma… Everything was destroyed… even the moon'' She was starting to have a hard time talking about this. She did NOT want her partner to hear this next part, ever. She didn't want anyone to know about this at all, in fact. Chat Noir being the enemy was something Marinette hated thinking about.

''It was me'' He continued for her in a whisper, then hugged her. ''How-'' She wanted to ask, but he started stroking her hair and her tears didn't let her keep talking. ''Destruction is my thing, remember?'' He said smiling at her. She nodded softly. ''The me of that future was gone too… as was Hawkmoth. And you knew my name so I assumed…'' She said, not wanting to finish that sentence either. They sat there for a while, as he caressed her and she calmed down.

Adrien tightened their hug then broke the silence. ''You thought… no, you knew that us knowing each others identities was part of a terrible future… yet you helped me when Plagg called you anyways'' He sounded amazed, not sad at all. She looked up at his face and saw that he was smiling at her with one of those warm and kind smiles only Adrien Agreste and her Kitty knew how to produce. The same one he had when he gave her his umbrella.

''I had to… I'd let you destroy the world again if it meant you don't get hurt, Kitty'' That got dark fast, Marinette thought as soon as she finished speaking. But It was all true, she would own those words even if they meant she could no longer be a proper Ladybug, a proper hero.

Chat Noir chuckled lightly ''And I won't let my lady let me destroy the world, balance and all, right?'' He said and the mood got bright again.

They were so sleepy, going into periods of silence like this new one was too easy. But instead of dozing off, Marinette kept thinking about Chat's question. If Bunnyx wasn't here scolding her for saying she would let the world be destroyed for her love, then it didn't mean it would ever come to that, right? She felt like it was cheating, to somehow get confirmation just by knowing a time hero existed that she would never screw up THAT badly. But she was grateful for the reassurance it gave her, and the boy beside her probably felt that way too, because soon enough, they were both finally sleeping the little hours left they had until the morning rays woke them up again.

The next day went by in a flash for the heroes. Lila still wasn't showing her face at school, and none of them was sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Marinette and Adrien barely passed as human beings, the lack of sleep getting particularly hard to deal with by the time the bells rang announcing the lunch hour. The four heroes went to their usual spot, tiredly sat down and started eating in silence.

''I'll go this evening to the hospital'' Announced Adrien after he finished his meal. The rest nodded, then Alya said ''I will try to dig information on those officers we saw last night. Something is up with them… I might be reaching but they didn't look like regular police to me'' She said.

''What about Lila?'' Asked Nino, and this time Marinette answered. ''Nothing yet, but whoever has the box, they will use it sooner than later….probably. Lets just hope it's not too big a disaster and we can stop them on time'' She said biting her lip. They all agreed on the sentiment, but Marinette was not sure what was worse: An adult organization like those officers getting the box and just… keeping it concealed and studying it or something, or Lila wreaking havoc with it.

''It's so frustrating, not being able to do anything, we are supposed to be heroes!'' Exclaimed the DJ, both of his hands hiding his eyes as his head tilted upwards. No one else said anything, kind of like a silent agreement on the sentiment.

After lunch, they were too tired to think of much more than what they had already planned to do: Wait for Adrien to get Master Fu's room, then visit him.

The blond boy came out of the hospital with his head down, hands on the pockets of his white jacket. Marinette, Nino, Alya and Luka were waiting for him on the park, and as soon as they saw him they knew whatever news he had, they weren't good news.

''He's in a coma, and the doctors said they don't even know if he will wake up at all… They looked very nervous too'' Said Adrien as soon as he was closer to the group. Marinette put a hand on his shoulders in support. ''Did you get to ask if they know what happened to him?'' She softly inquired, and Adrien shook his head.

''I tried, but the doctors changed the topic, like it was classified information or something. This is so weird guys, the officers of yesterday and now the doctors too. It's like they know Master Fu is not just a normal old man'' Said the model, and everyone looked at each other with worried expressions.

''We need to be extra careful, then'' Suggested Luka, and after that there was not much more to say. They all had their tasks, and sleeping to do. So they split after quiet goodbyes and went their ways.

Each of them thinking while walking home: What did they get into?


	15. The best they can do

Ladybug opened the hospital window as silently as she could manage. Once she got herself into the room, she was pretty sure Chat Noir would be proud of her sneakiness. No one seemed to notice she entered, and as soon as she saw the elder man sleeping on his bed, she felt relieved at entering the right room. So the doctors didn't try to hide where the guardian was, at least. Maybe they thought he was a weird case because of his age, they could have found something weird in his physiology that spiked their concerns. This was not a relaxing thought to the heroine, but it was better than some of the alternatives.

She got closer to the bed, and tried not to feel too bad about all the tubes and monitoring devices connected to Master Fu. She failed miserably.

''I will solve this, Master, I promise'' She whispered looking at the slow rise of the older man's breathing. ''You will wake up and the box will be safe again, you wouldn't even know it was gone in the first place'' She leaned in and gave Master Fu a peck on the forehead before going back to her exit. ''Whatever it takes'' Said Ladybug before closing the window and disappearing into the night.

After another Lila-less class day, Adrien got into the car sighing. Nathalie asked him what is wrong and he just vaguely told the woman that he had to talk to Gabriel about something, carefully avoiding the topic of miraculous in front of the Gorilla. Nathalie smiles a little at that, not seeming to be phased in the slightest about the reluctance of the boy to talk to his own father.

As soon as they arrived at the mansion, Nathalie told Adrien where his father was at the moment, his office. He didn't want to deal with him yet, specially not after the rough conversation they had before which was left unsolved. The boy did not want to admit it, but he felt guilty about how he treated the man when he just wanted to help him. Yes, he had a right to be frustrated and he also didn't owe his father any sympathy after all the things he had done, but he couldn't help the shame he felt everytime he remembered that particular interaction.

''Come in'' Said Gabriel's voice from his office as soon as Adrien knocked. At least he didn't need appointments anymore, the model thought.

''Hello son, how was your day?'' Asked the man, and Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at how weird those words sounded coming from him. Not that the question wasn't honest, but even as a full caring and involved parent Gabriel had any interest in the mundane.

''It was ok, Marinette and my friends were great as always and Lila didn't show up, which we still don't know if its a good or a bad thing'' He said more than he really wanted to, but he couldn't stop himself. He also hated how much of his judgement on the quality of his day was based upon Lila's absence. Thief and criminal or not, she was a sore spot in Adrien life's the boy really could do without.

''Miss Dupain-Cheng is welcome to dinner anytime, make sure to let her know that'' The man commented. ''I… I also wanted to apologize, son. I know you don't want me to meddle with your life anymore, but the residual connection I have with Nooro is not something I can control yet, so-''

''It's ok'' Adrien interrupted his father. Not sure if he could take all this weird behavior from Gabriel any longer. It wasn't unpleasant, exactly, but he just didn't want to get used to that just yet. Also it should be him who apologized for the other day. ''I know you can't control it, I was rude and angry, so I'm the one who's sorry'' Then an idea popped on his head. ''Hey father, do you think you could detect a specific person's location with your… senses?''

Gabriel stopped working on whatever he was sketching to look at Adrien, who was still standing close to the door. The man decided to leave his project and sat down on one of the couches, and signaled Adrien to do the same in front of him. Adrien couldn't help but smile a little at this. His father really was taking his second chance. Even if the boy didn't want to get his hopes up, he was grateful for the little changes.

''My powers are not the same as when I had the miraculous. I can't sense anyone I don't have a strong connection to, or that is too far away. Distinguishing people got a lot harder too'' He explained once they were both sitting. ''Is that what you came here for in the first place?'' Asked the man after a short silence.

''Oh, no. I need the grimoire, we believe we can find some clues to solve our… problem, in it. I'm sure you already know what happened'' He said. Adrien had commented on passing to Nathalie about the box being stolen, but he asked her to not intervene. He knew she would tell his father, however.

''Yes, I'm aware… I can give you the book, but I must warn you, translating it and understanding what it says is very hard, I'm not sure how much it could help you solve this issue. I spent these last years focused mostly on the secrets of the miraculous we know of, yours and Ladybugs, and the Butterfly and the Peacock'' Adrien was listening with full attention now. He never even thought of the possibility of his father knowing more about the jewels than he let on. ''When Emily fell ill, the first thing I did was investigate the grimoire. Just translating it takes a long time, It's not impossible but once I found out about the wish… '' He stopped there. He looked a bit confused to Adrien, which was probably explained by the fact that he destroyed the man's feelings and emotions about that whole situation.

''Wait, why would you go to the book first as soon as mom got ill? wouldn't a hospital be more of a priority?'' The boy remembered some doctors coming in, but he never thought those were related at all to his mother's disappearance. He now knew that she died of some incurable illness, but he never really lived with his parents through the process. To him, Emily Agreste just vanished one day.

''The illness was caused by the peacock miraculous, son. That's why I wanted to use their magic to solve it when it was too late for anything else'' Said Gabriel, not a single drop of frustration in his voice.

''Why would she use it so much that she died?. Why would you let her do that?!'' Adrien suddenly got up, and Gabriel seemed genuinely surprised at the outburst.

''Sit down, son'' He commanded calmly, and some rebel part of the model didn't want to, but he also wanted answers, so he obeyed. ''Your mother was no angel, son. She liked creating sentimonster more than I ever liked using the power of the butterfly miraculous. It was a form of expression for her at the beginning, but then it became an obsession'' As soon as Gabriel said this, Adrien got flashbacks of little weird creatures hanging around the house when he was younger. He always thought those were his imaginary friends… A product of his own loneliness.

''Yes, all those weird animals and friends you had when you were little, she made them all. To play, to command around, to clean the house. She never showed them to our guests of course, but there was no stopping her. Until the symptoms started to get worse and worse. We thought it was a cold at first, but when time went by and her health only deteriorated, I suspected the miraculous was responsible. So I forbid her from using it again. We argued about it and in the end she only agreed because of the fear of leaving you behind without a mother was stronger than her obsession over using the power'' Gabriel finished with a sad tone, and Adrien knew it wasn't for the loss of Emily, but for what it implied for his only son. The boy on the other hand, had tears on his eyes now, he didn't know any of this!

''If she stopped then, why did she die?'' Adrien asked in a whisper, not trusting his voice to produce a stronger volume without breaking.

''A year after she stopped using the miraculous, she got better. She also got better at controlling her craving of creating creatures with it. But then you got kidnapped…'' This time Gabriel's voice was a whisper, full of frustration and regret. Adrien never saw so much raw emotion coming from his father, but he knew the time he got kidnapped by some criminals that wanted rich people money was one of the first times he experienced that.

Adrien remembered that situation, it was right before his mother disappeared, and one of the scariest things, if short lived, the boy had experienced in his life so far. He got rescued before any payment was done, but his parents looked so distraught and, specially Emily, didn't want Adrien to leave their sight from a long time after that. It was also why he only insisted on going to school after she was gone, the woman being the most overbearing of his two parents. Adrien had almost forgotten that whole ordeal, the changes in his life after that being much more important to him.

''Your mother got so desperate to protect you after that incident, she stole the peacock miraculous from the safe and used it to create one final sentimonster, one that would protect you forever'' Gabriel explained looking at his son in the eyes, and immediately Adrien knew who it was.

''The gorilla…'' The boy whispered in awe. ''But he's… he looks so human! kinda… I mean, he doesn't talk much, but he has his own problems and feelings, right? just like the Ladybug sentimonster…'' The boy rambled a bit, while Gabriel was nodding.

''Yes, he lives, but his existence is tied to an object I keep protected, and while he has free will, he knows and respects what he was created for'' Said Gabriel.

Adrien couldn't believe this. The silent bodyguard that followed him around every time he could was a sentimonster made by his own mother. It explained so much, but also made him question even more.

''Your mother got gravely ill after that, and no doctor could help her this time. It was as if all her previous use of the miraculous added up with her last creation, and she collapsed. That's when I started investigating the grimoire for a solution and built that basement to keep her safe until I could find one'' Adrien could imagine the rest of that story. His father finding out about the wish, Emily finally dying in that cold coffing, but Gabriel not being able to just let go and deciding instead to become Hawkmoth.

''I know now how stupid I was, in hindsight and without all the … turmoil in my head that Emily always provoked, good or bad. I wish sometimes we had never found those artifacts on that trip to Nepal. But the thing I want the most right now, is your forgiveness, Adrien'' He said that last part with such sincerity, even the fact that he didn't show much emotion didn't stop Adrien's tears from accumulating in his green eyes. He hugged his father, and the man responded kindly and seemed to relax into the embrace.

Once they separated, there was a short awkward silence that the boy interrupted as soon as he found the words. ''I don't think I will ever forget what you did, father. But forgiveness? That I can do'' He smiled warmly, and Adrien was sure he didn't imagine how humid his father's eyes looked now. That made the boy happier than any words the man could have said. Just the fact that he felt enough to be nearly in tears, that he cared, was all that Adrien had wanted from his father since his mother vanished.

''Thank you, son. I'm not sure I deserve to be, but I'm proud that you are who you are'' Said the man. ''I can give you the grimoire like you want now'' He said soon after, to avoid another awkward silence probably, and hide his face too. Adrien smiled at that. His father got closer to the safe and started opening it.

''There is one more thing you should know, son. I found out this story about the peacock miraculous that explained why it damages its users'' He said while taking the book out and handing it to the boy.

''It's broken, right?'' Asked Adrien, looking at the grimoire in his hands, so he didn't really see Gabriel shaking his head.

''It's cursed, I can tell you that story if you want, but I think it would be wiser to have Ladybug… Miss Dupain-Cheng with us for that, she's responsible for the jewels, am I correct?'' He said, and Adrien looked at his father in the eye, and decided he could trust him with this new information.

''She's not the guardian anymore, I'm giving this book to the new one, Viperion. But yeah I'll tell her to come and listen to this, we can inform the guardian after if it's useful'' The boy looked at his watch and almost jumped ''Speaking of which, I'm late to my date!'' And he was out of the room before Gabriel could say anything else.

Nathalie was outside the room, smiling warmly, ipad on her arms as always.

Marinette listened to Adrien's story with so many mixed emotions she was sure that if Gabriel could sense her now, he would get dizzy. On one part, she was happy that her boyfriend and his father were finally talking and sharing; On the other one, the whole thing with Emily was such a tragedy the heroine just wanted to curl up on her room and cry. She wasn't sure how Adrien did it, how he was such a good person after everything he went through, but she knew that she was extremely grateful and proud of the fact. Even as he was telling her all this, he didn't seem as distressed as she would have been in his shoes.

She laid her head on his shoulder once the story was done, and they sat there at the park for a bit. It was getting late, and the sunset attracted some couples to the place but nothing more, so this little moment was as private as it could have been.

''He also said that the peacock miraculous is cursed, and he knows the story behind it. He wanted you to be there to hear it, though'' Said the boy while she enjoyed the reverberating of his voice on her ear. ''I'm not sure how useful it would be, but he wants you to come to dinner anyways so I said yes, is that ok with you?'' He asked.

''Yeah, I don't mind'' She said, and then they both just sat there in silence again. It was getting easier and easier for them to just enjoy each others company without wearing a mask, but the guilty feeling they got from it was not disappearing any time soon. Them being happy while bad things were left unsolved was not something they would get used to any time soon.

Adrien sighed. ''You know, It's really hard to not just transform into Destruction and smell Lila's location or whoever has the box and go get it'' He commented, trying to make it sound like a joke but Marinette could tell there was real wishful thinking in there.

''Huh uh, none of that Kitty. You know the consequences are permanent. We will solve this as we usually do, as heroes'' She scolded him with the same half joking tone. Adrien chuckled at the treatment, then after a while he escorted her to the bakery.

Marinette couldn't help but worry about Adrien's desperation to solve this. Yeah, she wanted that too, as quickly as possible. But it wasn't worth it if her partners life was forever ruined because of them rushing things. What if he got a tail or cat ears?!

She promised herself to do everything on her power to avoid that from happening.

Chat Noir knocked on the window of the boat-house, and soon after Luka opened the curtains to see who was bothering him at 1AM. The older boy saw him and immediately let the cat inside his room.

''I brought you the book we told you about'' Said Chat as soon as he got in, keeping his voice low in case anyone else was awake. He dropped his transformation just briefly enough to get the book out of his bag as Adrien, then turned back into his hero persona. Again, just in case.

''Thank you... um, what language is this?'' Asked the guitarist after flipping through some pages of the grimoire. Chat Noir chuckled at his confused face.

''No idea, my father spent years studying it and he said he didn't get much information either. Not even Master Fu translated it completely, I think'' He snickered. The cat didn't hate Luka, but the thought of him suffering through this made him kind of happy for some reason. He knew he was being childish, but he couldn't help it.

''Huh…'' Said Luka, then looked at Chat's grinning face and returned the same expression before saying. ''I gather you and Marinette are doing good, since you are back to your mocking self again instead of just glaring daggers and mopping around'' He commented, and when Chat's smirk dropped the guitarist started laughing.

''Sorry sorry, I'm happy for you two, honestly'' He said after probably realizing he shouldn't laugh too hard that late. Chat took the cue to say what he really wanted to say to the older boy.

''Nah, It should be me apologizing. You have been such a good sport about all this and I was just a jealous brat'' Said the hero, reclining himself on the open window. Luka smiled brightly at that, and Chat realized it made him feel a million times better to be nice to the guy and see him happy than to antagonize him. No wonder Marinette liked him.

''Apology accepted… But seriously, this book is going to be a pain in the ass for me'' He sighed, but Chat could tell from his tone that the complaint didn't mean Luka wouldn't give his best to investigate. He knew from past experience with the band that the guitarist was not a lazy person at all.

''You are going to be a great guardian, I can tell already'' Said Chat smiling. But then he saw the guitarist face get a bit more serious while still looking through the book.

''You know, when I accepted the job, I thought I'd had some guidance… But now it feels like I'm the responsible adult in the group- Not that you or Marinette or the others are not responsible! But I'm the oldest and… '' He sighed ''I can't help thinking that I should be doing more'' He finished saying, and Chat decided the mopping look just didn't fit Luka.

''You know, I went by almost a whole year without knowing of the existence of the guardian. Only Ladybug knew. So I kind of know how you feel. But I learned that trying to prove yourself to someone else is not the same as doing the right thing... I made my Lady suffer sometimes with me trying to impress her instead of actually doing my job'' He chuckled at the memory. It felt like an eternity ago that such a dynamic between the heroes was still going on, when in reality it was barely a week ago that they knew each others identities; And just a bit longer since he stopped trying so hard to woo his lady, in the middle of battle at least.

''What I'm trying to say is, just do what you can and it will be fine. You don't have to be ´the adult´, just being part of the group is good enough'' The hero finished saying and was rewarded with Luka's eyes lighting up.

''You know, between you and me, I always liked Chat Noir more'' Said the guitarist then, and both boys laughed.

''No way, Ladybug is everyone's favorite, even mine!''

''Yeah but I clicked more with the way you always kept the mood light with your jokes and how you protected her from everything so she could solve the riddles of each Akuma'' Said Luka, and Chat felt a blush rising on his face. He couldn't recall the last time someone other than his Lady appreciated so much what he did. Specially the jokes. Luka really did know people, and what made them feel good, the cat thought.

''But seriously, thank you. I'll do my best with this'' Said the blue haired boy while lifting the grimoire and smiling.

They chatted a bit more and then Chat Noir left. These days none of them were getting enough sleep and he really needed to stop making it worse by just socializing.

As he leaped back to his home, the cat hero's spirits lifted from his interaction with the new guardian, he smiled. Luka had a way of making him feel better even after he was an idiot to him, even his mocking was more a way to lighten the mood than a tool to make him feel guilty.

For the first time that week, Chat Noir felt as if they were finally moving forward and not being stuck with their problems. He had no idea if the guitarist even knew any other language other than french, but he had the strange and comfortable feeling that he would do his best to help anyways, and that was what all of them should do, really.

...

Hello! If you are interested in seeing some fanart, search for BrassLass on tumblr to see how Pavona looks and some other stuff.

Thank you for reading this fic so far, hope you enjoy it!


	16. Intervention

Chloe slumped on her couch as soon as Sabrina was out of the hotel. They had been doing homework and their regular friday evening anime session, and Chloe was exhausted. Her efforts of doing her own school work better pay off one day as Adrikins promised, because she was, so far, not enjoying it very much. After the drama with Sabrina, who thought that her trying to do her own homework was a sign of their friendship ending (Again), she questioned every math problem she had to solve, every book she had to read. This was not good for her cutis.

Speaking of things bad of her cutis, she thought as her phone buzzed with a new message. With his new relationship to Marinette, Adrikins still found the time to talk to her sometimes, which kind of surprised Chloe, if she was being totally honest. Yes, her presence was a delight, especially recently. And yes, they were childhood friends, but she was not blind, or stupid. She knew Dupain-Cheng would absorb the little free time the model had left, leaving Chloe with the crumbs. But she was going to be a good friend, and take those crumbs without complaining for now.

She replied the blonds question about the upcoming Easter Gala with a ''Of course I will be going, you dumbass'' and then smiled when he replied with a happy cat emote. That boy was not subtle, at all, Chloe realized now, knowing what she knew about her friend.

This week had gone with no incidents, which was mostly due to the fact that Lila didn't show up for class. But Chloe had no plans on letting her guard down, Chat Noirs identity was a secret that must be kept at all cost. She decided to exercise what Sabrina called ´´The spy miraculous´´ on her classmates, after her discovery of the hero's identity; And suddenly her school days had a lot more going on than just making an effort to not insult anybody and trying to pay attention to the teachers.

She learnt that Alix and Max were best friends now, Chloe was not sure when that happened or why it happened, but the skater and the nerd were together all the time, whispering to each other. She also caught Alix eyeing Dupain-Cheng a lot. Juleka and Rose were definitely a thing, the mayor's daughter was 100% sure of that after her week of people watching.

And Marinette knew that Adrikins was Chat Noir. She learned that this same friday.

They were at the school cafeteria having lunch and the TV suddenly was showcasing what used to be Lila Rossi's home. Apparently, that sob story she was telling last week turned out out be true, and what was more worrisome for Chloe, was that it really looked like Chat Noir did it. The reporters seemed hesitant, but they mentioned the cat hero having a slip up as a possibility. The whole school erupted into discussion after that, but Chloe had a friend to comfort. Except, her job was taken now by Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chloe followed the couple outside of the cafeteria to try to talk to Adrien, and saw that he was hugging his annoying girlfriend. They wouldn't have done that if the baker girl didn't know what he was so distressed about, right?

Back to the present, the blonde let out an exasperated huff, then grabbed her phone again. Adrien wouldn't tell Dupain-Cheng his identity just like that, at least she didn't think so. They both knew what Ladybug thought about revealing sensitive information, and the consequences of doing so. But maybe the fact that Hawkmoth was gone relaxed her idol enough to let him some slack… But then, why didn't she come and give her Pollen back? Or at least explained why she couldn't get her miraculous?

Chloe hated the bad taste that was left in her mouth everytime she doubted Ladybug, but this time she couldn't help it. There just was no excuse anymore for her to not, at least, let say goodbye to the kwami.

And Adrien! He was Chat Noir! he could talk to Ladybug, he knew perfectly well how Chloe felt about being left behind like this. Suddenly the girl was not so worried for the model, petty spite and betrayal creeping in. The only good thing about this was that she was free to rage and cry now that Hawkmoth was gone.

And that is how Viperion found her. Sobbing against a pillow in her room, surrounded by chocolate and with her teddy bear as sole company.

''Uhh… Knock knock?'' Said the snake hero, hesitant. Chloe looked up, eyes red and puffy, and saw Viperion at her window, one foot on her room and the rest of his body outside. His face was kind of funny, thought the rich girl. But any amusement was nullified by the embarrassment of being seen in such a state.

She hid her face again on her pillow and her muffled voice said something along the lines of ''Get out'' with not a lot of energy. She waited a little for the hero to leave, but instead she felt a soft touch on her shoulder, and when she peeked, the turquoise masked boy (Man?) was close enough that she could see the detail in his worried eyes. Chloe sighed, then rolled her eyes.

''What do you want?'' She was in not mood to be nice right now. She had very few interactions with this particular member of the miraculous team in the last year, most of them as her in the sidelines just watching him being chosen to fight over Queen Bee.

''Are you ok?'' He asked instead of answering her question, which disarmed the blonde. She was not expecting any kindness from their group, now that she knew not even her childhood friend would pay her any mind when it came to the miraculous. Chloe got up, sizing herself against the snake who, to her annoyance, was a lot taller. She then hmphed away and went to her bathroom to clean her face and fix her hair a bit. She would not be having this conversation… Any kind of conversation, looking like she just watched the ending of Romeo X Juliet.

Chloe wasn't sure the hero would still be there once she got out, but there he was, standing awkwardly in the middle of her disastrous room. There was a mix of the aftermath of her evening with Sabrina and her ''mild meltdown'' all over the place; Viperion behaved as if he was surrounded by mines instead of homework sheets, empty chocolate wrappers and tissues.

''I'm ok'' She said flatly. The snake themed hero tried his best to hide the tiny smile that formed in his lips, but obviously failed, since the girl noticed. ''Look, I don't know what you want, but I'm busy here, so could you leave, please?'' She winced as soon as she said that last word. That insufferable snake smiled widely now at her slip up of politeness.

''Don't worry, I will not tell anybody that Chloe bourgeois said the word ´´please´´'' He said, standing with a bit more ease now. ''I just came to check on you, as the new guardian of the miraculous''

''Guardian? I thought Ladybug was the boss of the whole thing, did something happen to her?'' The worry on her voice did not go unnoticed by the hero.

''She's ok, it's just that, after Hawkmoth was dealt with, she… We decided to be more of a team and the task of taking care of the jewels and who holds them fell on me'' Chloe did not imagine the pride on his tone after saying that. So Ladybug was giving other people their jewels permanently now, the whole lot of them, in fact, but she still couldn't show her face for one second just to tell her she would never see Pollen again? Great.

Chloe felt the tears accumulating on her eyes once more, so she quickly turned on her feet, giving her back to the hero. ''I don't care for any of that, I'm not a hero anymore, remember?'' She didn't hold back on the spite in her tone, even if this person had nothing to do with Ladybugs choices.

There was a short silence after, and the blonde was starting to wonder if the snake just left while she wasn't looking when she felt something soft on her ear. She almost jumped, then saw that Viperion was holding her teddy bear at arm's length, offering it to her with an annoyingly warm smile. Chloe sniffed then took the bear, trying to keep her frown in place long enough to save what was left of her dignity.

''Ladybug gave me this role, and it's up to me now to decide who is a hero and who isn't worthy of a miraculous. And you, Chloe, are not unworthy'' She didn't miss how he didn't really say she was worthy either, but hope raised in her chest anyways.

''Will I get Pollen back, then? What do I need to do?'' She asked.

''I can't give your miraculous now… The box was stolen, Chloe, and we are working right now to get it back. But I thought you needed to know that you can still be part of this team, even without the miraculous'' Said Viperion. ''I came here without telling the others because I wanted to know what you think first, but if you agree to help us, I'll ask them to consider letting you join the team too''

Chloe's first thought after hearing all that was about her poor Pollen being stolen, and her second thought was Adrien.

''I know who Chat Noir is'' She blurted, definitely not saying whatever Viperion expected her to say, because his face was priceless. His jaw was basically on the floor and his eyes so big his mask almost lost its shape. That kind but also a bit condescending smile was finally wiped out of his features.

''Wha- What do you mean? How?'' He shook his head ''How long have you known?''

''Just this week. Those fangs and nails are too atrocious for me to not notice'' She commented, finally sounding like herself.

''You do know... Well consider me impressed, Chloe. I think you realize how much you can help us, then'' He said, doing his best to gather his poise. The blonde really enjoyed seeing that look on the snake, she suspected it was not normal for him to be surprised by people.

''Alright, what can Queen Bee do for you?'' She smirked.

Even with no Akumas attacking at strange hours and keeping them awake most nights, the heroes of paris were not really good at arriving early at school. Marinette and Adrien were inseparable that weekend, but their time together was less about enjoying each others company and more about stressing out over the lack of information they still had on the Miraculous Box robbery and Master Fu's condition.

At least they had some sleep, and both of them looked quite fresh when they entered the classroom, just mere minutes before the teacher was supposed to arrive that monday.

''I can't believe he would do something like this'' Was the first thing the couple heard once they sat down, coming from Ivan. For some reason, a large portion of the class was gathered at the back of the room, including a furious looking Alya and Nino.

''I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't experience it myself'' Said a wavering and pathetic feminine voice. Lila was back.

Marinette and Adrien got up, and started cautiously approaching the group. The only people on the room who seemed to be ignoring the Italian girl were Chloe and Sabrina, Alix, Max and Nathaniel. Well, ignoring was a strong word for staying in their seats, but listening in anyways.

''Why do you guys still listen to her? The news stated it was probably a gas explosion on her house, not Chat Noir!'' Alya argued. Marinette and Adrien frowned. This again?.

''Oh, Alya, you didn't watch the latest segment?'' Said Lila as she pulled out her phone, then started playing a video. She lifted it so everyone could see, including the couple of heroes.

On the screen, Nadia Chamak was sitting in front of a distressed looking Ladybug. The four heroes gaped at the sight, too shocked to do anything but keep watching.

''So, do you confirm that it was your partner, Chat Noir, who attacked Ambassador Rossi's home two weeks ago?'' Asked the reporter, and the Ladybug on the screen looked thoughtful before answering ''Yes, I'm afraid his… powers of destruction, got a bit out of control. But It was just that one time! He's good I'll make sure of it!'' Said the fake heroine with too much happiness for the topic of the conversation. Nadia frowned and then continued the interview.

''Do you think this could happen again?, Chat Noir is a beloved hero to this city, but people might not like him destroying private property'' Asked Nadia. The fake Ladybug then was suddenly angry and got up, fists closed. ''You have no right to question us! We are the heroes of Paris, and we deserve respect after finally stopping Hawkmoth!'' She yelled at the surprised reporter.

The whole thing went downhill after that, the fake Ladybug refused to answer any more questions and just left the set. Nadia looked sad, and refused to give any more of her thoughts on the matter, but another reporter took the chance and, before the video cut off, she said: ''There you have it people, first they don't reveal who Hawkmoth is, and now Chat Noir is destroying peoples homes with no explanation, he doesn't even show his face to apologize and Ladybug still defends him! Do we really need heroes like these?''

The Francoise-Dupont students were silent after the video ended. Lila didn't even bother to hide her smirk while looking down at Marinette and Adrien. Then the whole classroom erupted in debate, each of them finding something to yell about, whether they agreed with the last statement of the reporter or not.

''That Ladybug is fake!'' Said Alya, and Lila didn't even had to reply, because Ivan started arguing with the Ladyblogger about how blind she is to not see that the heroes are not who they used to be.

''There is something fishy going on here'' Said Max, Alix nodding beside him.

''But you saw the proof! What Lila said about Chat Noir attacking her house is true!'' Exclaimed Kim.

''They saved us every day for years! They deserve the benefit of the doubt at least!'' Countered Alix.

''Alya just got convinced by Marinette and Adrien that Lila is some sort of chronic liar, but I'm tired of the antagonism. We should just accept that not everyone is perfect, not even our heroes'' Said Mylene, and Marinette snapped from her stupor at hearing her and her partners name.

''But she IS lying! We have proof, right Alya?'' Said the heroine, and the reporter was about to talk too when Lila finally chimed in.

''Oh, I wouldn't even try that, honey. I know a thing or two myself'' Smirked the Italian. Most of the class was still busy arguing with each other to notice how the girl looked not so vulnerable anymore. The four heroes understood the threat immediately, however. They all realized that Lila had the box, that fake Ladybug was probably a sentimonster made by her with the peacock miraculous, and that she also knew who they were. This was bad.

''I'm confused, what proof, Alya? I don't know what to think anymore'' Said Rose once everyone calmed enough to hear her quiet voice. ''I don't want to believe Chat Noir is a bad person, but the news and even Ladybug said he did that to Lila's house…'' She sounded extremely sad, a sentiment most of them shared.

''I know how you feel, but now it's not time to doubt what your two eyes see just because some people are fanatics'' Said Lila ''Who knows what else Chat Noir might do if we let this go…'' She smirked at Adrien, and he snapped.

Black smoke started slowly coming out of the models right hand, Marinette noticed, and he looked like he was about to pounce on the Italian girl any moment now. A low growl started coming out of him, but, before anyone else noticed, he regained his control as a loud ''Adrikins!'' came from the front of the class.

The heroes looked at each other and communicated silently their agreement on taking this cue and let go for now. They went to their seats while Adrien listened to what Chloe had to say.

''T-Thank you Chloe, I…'' He whispered to the blonde, not really thinking about an explanation for his behavior, not even sure if she saw him or not.

''Whatever, more importantly, I need an extra invitation for the Easter Fashion Gala, do you think your father could get one more for me?'' Said Chloe nonchalantly. Adrien was a bit confused still, all his anger disappearing by the girls distraction.

''Err, yeah I think I can get you an extra one… Who else are you inviting? I already gave you one for Sabrina'' He forced himself to sound casual, his curiosity still genuine though. Chloe didn't really have that many friends.

''Oh just a new guy I met'' She replied, raising her eyebrows while smirking at him. Cheeky, Adrien thought. He owed a talk to his childhood friend after this, still not sure how much she saw. He was grateful for her intervention anyways, intentional or not.

Before Adrien could comment further, the teacher arrived and he had to go back to his seat. It took awhile for the whole class to calm down, and Mis Mendeleiev commented something about the news being ´´Not always trustworthy, so they should wait and get information from other sources too´´ before continuing with her routine.

The heroes spent the whole class passing notes to each other, but it was not a very efficient way of communicating their concerns. One thing was clear for the four of them, though.

The Miraculous thief was Lila Rossi, and she was going to pay.


	17. The curse of the peacock

Marinette held Adrien's hand tight, silently giving him as much support as she could while the heroes discussed what just happened in class. Recess was short, but it was enough time for them to sit at their usual hidden spot and look at each other, speechless, for a good minute before Alya decided to talk first.

''We can't shame her in public, or share with the class all we know about her lies'' Stated the reporter, and while Nino looked confused for a second, he caught up soon enough.

''You think people will believe her if she keeps using sentimonsters to make us look bad?'' Adrien asked, and Nino must have been wondering the same because he nodded along.

''You saw what just happened. Not everyone believes her, but enough still do. She has said the most outrageous lies and I tried for years to disprove her, but no one chose to believe me instead of her'' Said Marinette. She hoped Alya and Nino didn't feel too bad about it still, it was not her intention, but her point still stood. She shook her head before continuing:

''She's going to ruin our reputations, that's how she operates. The problem is, she knows who we are, and she decided she would go against our hero personas and hold everything else she knows as leverage''

''I just don't get it, what does she gain with all this?'' Asked Nino, then Adrien chimed in:

''Yeah I don't understand either to be honest. Before, she was against Marinette cause she was the only person that wanted to reveal her lies, she also wanted to be with me, have a lot of people following her around and be popular… Now though? '' He left that question open, shaking his head. They spent a few seconds quietly pondering about the girls motivations for everything she was doing.

Marinette was done thinking about Lila's motivations a long time ago, however. That girl was just deranged in her opinion, her crossing new lines recently was not that much of a surprise to the heroine. She knew enough, that Lila wanted to ruin the lives of anyone who opposed her, the reasons behind that being less important than stopping her.

''Well her leverage against us just means this is like a cold war, or something'' Said the DJ. ''If she starts poking too much she knows we will tell on her, and her truths are way more damaging to her reputation than ours'' He sounded so sure of it. But he was not there when Chat lost control of Destruction. It might have been an accident, but the fact of the matter was that it did happen. Marinette did not want to even consider what would become of Adrien's life if people knew he was Chat Noir, specially when they were already starting to distrust the hero. Even if they somehow repaired his public image, there was also the topic of Hawkmoth. It turned out, they had a lot more to lose than Lila did, and the girl probably knew that.

''Do you guys think she knows who Hawkmoth is?'' Marinette wondered out loud in a whisper. She did not want to bring that topic to Adrien, the boy had enough stress as it was, but it was important.

''She might'' Said the model. He looked extremely sad, which was not good for Marinette's heart. ''We don't know how she learned our identities, or took the box, or anything really. We need to act as if she has the upper hand even if we are not sure she does... At least until we learn more''

''Or just take the box back'' Said Marinette, still holding her boyfriend's hands. ''That's the biggest issue here, we just need to go to her house and steal it back before she starts using the other miraculous'' Alya frowned after hearing it, and the designer knew her friend had a little epiphany there.

''Why is she using just the peacock miraculous, though?'' Asked Alya, making everyone else match her expression.

''It's the best one for ruining our images'' Answered Adrien, but Marinette started to see where Alyas question came from.

''No, she has the horse, she could teleport to our houses and steal our miraculous while we sleep. She also has the mouse… and the other ones, she could mix them all and do a lot more damage than what she has done, it's really weird that she's using just the one that is broken, too'' She rambled, and the other heroes frowns turned into agreeing nods and gaping mouths. Marinette knew better than anyone else how much manipulation and power one could have when combining the jewels, even if it was for a short time.

''That's right! Why is she using the one that will damage her health? She must have already felt some symptoms, my father said they were mild at first but still present. And she must have practiced a little before getting the sentimonster she wanted'' Adrien joined the designer's ramble.

''Maybe she's waiting to use the other ones, who knows what that girl is planning, honestly'' Alya seemed to agree that it was very strange that Lila only used one miraculous after a week of having them all, but Marinette understood her desire to be cautious and not draw conclusions too fast. ''Maybe she has used them, just not in a way we can see yet'' concluded the reporter. That was a scary thought, too. Marinette didn't even know yet what the other jewels did, but the possibilities were quite concerning.

''We gotta get that box back'' Affirmed Nino.

''We don't know where she lives now'' Said Adrien, and Marinette didn't like how low energy he sounded suddenly.

''Me and Nino can try to figure that out'' Offered Alya, and Marinette was not sure if the internet would be of a lot of help with that. But for now, it was better than nothing.

''Kitty, didn't your father had a story to tell us about the peacock miraculous?'' She asked the blond, and he light up a bit, head looking up again.

''Yeah! let's go today, maybe he knows why Lila seems to be using only that one'' He suggested.

The group chatted a bit more about their plans and then had to go back to class. Marinette asked her partner on the way back if they should still patrol that night as they agreed before, and he nodded, saying that it might even be good for their reputation if Paris saw them doing their duties. She really hoped that people were not so feeble minded and that everyone was on the hero's side, but after years of watching the best people she knew fall for Lila's lies, she was not feeling too positive.

''Hey Kitty, what did you use your cataclysm on? I forgot to ask you earlier'' Said Marinette while they both walked towards the boys mansion after leaving the car. She made sure the bodyguard behind them wouldn't hear her, not sure if he was on board with all the family secrets. She knew the man was actually a sentimonster, but she hadn't asked Adrien what he knew.

''Oh, um'' Instead of directly answering, he lifted his right hand and showed it to Marinette, who giggled after looking at it. The left hand of the model looked normal with the girls manicure still on it, but the right one was back to black. ''You destroy what I create, all my work, gone'' She joked, and Adrien grinned.

''That's how we achieve balance, my lady'' He countered.

Still smiling, laughing and keeping the joke up, they both entered the house to be greeted by Nathalie, who was waiting for them.

''This way'' She said, serious as always. The couple followed the woman to Gabriel Agreste's office, where he was sitting on one of the couches, reading a magazine.

''Ohh! is that the new edition of Runway magazine?'' Marinette blurted, not really stopping herself to consider who she was talking to. Yeah, she addressed him a lot when she was wearing her mask, she had zero respect for Hawkmoth after all. But Gabriel Agreste, fashion icon and superstar designer? The man was still intimidating to a certain degree.

Gabriel smiled, a thing that Marinette wasn't sure she ever saw before, then put the magazine down and gestured for the couple to sit in front of him.

''Yeah, Miranda will come to the Easter fashion gala and her new spring collection is going to be our main topic of conversation, as usual'' He said nonchalantly. Marinette gaped, just the mental image of two of her idols being on the same room (A room she was invited to!) being too much excitement. Adrien by side chuckled, then gently pushed her jaw closed. She snapped out of that little starstruck moment then channeled her inner Ladybug.

''So'' The girl cleared her throat, sitting down in front of her boyfriend's father and crossing her legs ''Adrien told me you know something about the peacock miraculous that we don't?'' She inquired, doing her best to sound like she meant business.

''Yes, I'll go to the point so we can have dinner soon, if you are willing to stay, Miss Dupain-Cheng'' Said Gabriel, and when the girl nodded in response he continued. ''I assume Adrien already told you what happened with Emily?'' Another nod by Marinette ''Good. As you both know, I spent most of these last years trying to translate the book, but since it was too much of a time investment, I had to narrow my investigation to the information I was looking for, and not much else''

Marinette noticed he didn't even flinch when mentioning his dead wife's name, such a weird sight, even for a seemingly emotionless man like Gabriel Agreste.

''So I stumbled upon this story about the peacock jewel. I knew it was the cause of Emily's sickness, so I wanted to know why it did that to her while the butterfly didn't do anything to me. Turns out, the peacock miraculous, as well as its Kwami, were cursed by the other gods'' He stopped for a moment so Adrien and Marinette would absorb what he just said.

Tikki and Plagg came out of their usual hiding spots, and the little cat god was the first to talk, interrupting his opposite: ''I don't remember any of that!''

''That's because we were not in the box when that happened, you stinky sock!. Listen to the story'' Said Tikki.

''You know about this, Tikki?'' Asked Marinette, and Tikki looked at her while shaking her head.

''No, I only know that something happened a long time ago with Duusu, since he can't get inside the box with the rest, but that is all. I think our memories about that whole incident were wiped'' Clarified the tiny bug. Marinette wasn't sure how to feel about listening to this story anymore, if it was a big enough of a secret that the memories of the literal gods that cursed one of their own were erased.

''Oh that, yeah I cataclysmed our memories'' Said Plagg nonchalantly, then sat down at Adriens shoulder, like his comment didn't matter. The boy looked just as overwhelmed as Marinette felt, but he found the will to laugh at the tiny cat's antics anyways.

''How can you remember you did that, if you did that to yourself too?'' The model asked to the kwami in his shoulder, half joking and half curious.

''I left a note, duh''

The humans in the room collectively decided that the tiny cat was not a good source of information, so Gabriel cleared his throat and continued talking.

''As I was saying, I found this story about an old user of the peacock miraculous, a heroine who lived such a long time ago, that even in a book as old as the grimoire she was described as an ancient legend. She used the jewel for years helping people out and keeping balance, whatever that means, but then she got arrogant. She started creating sentimonster armies for a military general whose name is not mentioned but I have my theories. The guardian of the miraculous of that time didn't like her recent creations, so he called her to the temple where the monks guarded the jewels that were not in use. I couldn't translate that part too well, but it seems there was an argument and she was asked to give up her miraculous, forever''

Marinette was paying attention, but at the same time she was picturing in her head how that discussion must have gone. It probably looked like the talk she never had the courage to give to Chloe.

''The holder of the peacock didn't want to give her power up, of course. So she attacked the guardian and ended up killing him. The kwamis decided to punish her with a curse: Her and her spirit, not sure if that word is right but it's what I translated it to, would never be able to use a miraculous again. But since she was still in possession of the peacock when she got the curse, it leaked to the jewel and its kwami too. As your kwami said, Ladybug, Duusu can't get inside the miraculous box, and whoever tries to use the peacock miraculous for too long will suffer the same fate as that older hero, and Emily.'' Gabriel finished saying.

''What happened to the peacock user after she got cursed?'' Asked Adrien.

''She was ostracized from the temple and lived a short life, dying from the curse'' Answered the man.

''No wonder we wiped our memories about it… That curse was a mistake'' Said Tikki, and Marinette noticed the little bug's eyes were watery.

''I say she deserved it'' Commented Plagg, receiving a hit on the head by the lucky kwami.

''Idiot! Duusu did not deserve that! She can't enter the box anymore, she can't converge with the rest of us, she must be losing her mind!'' The red kwami stopped her rant with both of her tiny hands covering her mouth, as if she said too much.

Marinette learnt a long time ago that Tikki knew a lot of things, and that she would probably never hear most of them in her lifetime. She accepted that, she had this impulse to solve problems, but because of her experience in meddling too much when she was not called for and the consequences of that, she knew the kwamis business were on that category and very much preferred to not antagonize Tikki.

''Lila is cursed too'' She commented in a whisper and Adrien nodded, probably thinking the same thing.

''Miss Rossi?'' Asked a confused Gabriel. They briefly explained to him what happened earlier that day, along with the revelation that Lila had the box and their theory that she was only using one miraculous, the peacock.

''She will die if she abuses it'' Said the man in a flat tone, like he didn't really care if that actually happened.

''She attacked Master Fu, just like that old holder did… Maybe that is what the book meant when they say ´´her spirit will be cursed too´´ … maybe it's not her soul or anything like that, but the um.. essence of her actions?'' Marinette was thinking out loud.

''That makes a lot of sense Marinette'' Agreed Tikki.

''That girl… She could die like an idiot because of her petty antagonism with us!'' Adrien got up, suddenly angry. Marinette found it to be incredible how much he still cared about other people, specially people like Lila, when it was his reputation and his future what was in danger. He really was a hero at heart, Marinette thought smiling. Adrien looked at her and his rage deflated instantly.

''What are you so happy about? Don't tell me you want Lila dead'' He didn't sound like that last part was a serious consideration, but Marinette chuckled anyways at his conclusion.

''No Kitty, it would solve all our problems though'' She joked.

After an a lot less awkward than expected dinner at the Agreste mansion, Ladybug and Chat Noir went out to the night to patrol the city of Paris.

They wanted to make sure people saw them doing good, so they took all the very public routes they knew of, feeling relieved when people still saluted them as they leaped from one rooftop to the next.

It just so happened that that night was the one two very fishy looking agents were looking for the duo, and the heroes being extremely visible made their jobs easier.

The heroes were sitting on one of the balconies when two men down on the street called for them. Without hesitating, they went down to ask what could they help them with. They looked like police officers after all.

Turns out, they were the same ´´officers´´ that guarded Master Fu's home after his attack. Both heroes noticed this fact as soon as they landed beside them, as one of them had the same nasty looking scar on his face. Chat recognized the other one from his incursion inside the guardians house.

''What can we do for you Mister….'' Ladybug said cautiously, her body prepared to jump out any moment. She didn't know exactly what irked her to think they were dangerous, but she listened to her instincts, and so did her partner beside her, who looked ready for action too.

''You can call me Agent A'' Said the one with the scar. He had a slight accent. ''My partner is Agent T, we are part of an organization dedicated to…the study and containment of magical and supernatural artifacts, beings and people, such as you'' He was straight to the point, at least, thought Ladybug. With that presentation, she was even less likely to relax in front of these two.

''We have been aware of Paris's duo of superheroes since your first appearance, you never knew of our existence because it was not necessary before'' As Agent A. said that, the other one growled angrily, as if he wanted to comment something else but knew it was not appropriate.

''And you come to us now because….?'' Inquired Chat Noir, who decided to step in front of his lady in a protective manner. His instincts were screaming danger even louder than Ladybugs were.

''Because we have reasons now to believe you are not... adequate for your ´´jobs´´, to put it simple. If the city of Paris doesn't want your presence anymore, we are the ones in charge of making sure people like you are dealt with'' Said Agent A. Ladybug was officially intimidated now, but Chat at her side scoffed.

''You realize we have powers, right? You can't take them easily, just ask Hawkmoth how that went for him'' He said mockingly, but Agent A. smiled.

''You are a little kid who can't even use the full power of his miraculous yet, Plagg must be bored with all the teenager drama, too'' At that both heroes gaped. How did they know the kwamis name?

''Tell us who Hawkmoth is and we will not bother you again unless you commit a serious crime'' This time the other man talked, Agent T. He was furious, Ladybug could tell as much by his tone and how he gritted his teeth as he spoke. This man hated them.

Ladybug frowned, tired of getting bullied and judged even though she had done nothing wrong. ''He has been dealt with, we will not disclose his identity. You can tell your boss or whoever that Ladybug and Chat Noir will not be intimidated by your bully tactics. I know what you want, you want our miraculous just like Hawkmoth did. Not gonna happen. Let's go kitty''

She knew her partner was still shaken, so she lightly touched his shoulder before spinning her yoyo to get out of there. She made sure he followed her.

Before losing sight of the two men, Ladybug looked back one more time just to see Agent A. smiling at her.


	18. Moonlight

Nino's concentration was interrupted by his girlfriend sighing loudly by his side. He stopped looking at the screen of his computer to see that Alya was stretching, then standing up.

''Babe?'' He asked. They had been doing their research for about an hour with no results, but the fox heroine was not known for giving up this early.

''I'm just getting some water'' She said as she left his room. Nino shrugged then continued.

When Alya came back, instead of sitting down to work again she looked over his shoulder to see his screen. Nino was looking at the myriad of links he found after starting with the Italian embassy official page (That was in italian only) one by one. He still hadn't found one with the addresses of their members or anything remotely close to a clue to where Lila might be living right now.

''I think they hid it on purpose, babe'' Commented Alya, then sipped her water. ''Or it was classified information to begin with'' She continued after he stubbornly kept trying to translate Italian to French only to find it was another web filled with advice for lost tourists.

''I still have a couple pages left to check'' He said with little hope. His girlfriend shook her head.

''Just think about it, her house got attacked and she's a politician's kid. Yeah the media is pretty convinced it was Chat Noir who did it, but the Italians are not familiar with our heroes, they probably concluded it was a terrorist attack or something'' Said the fox heroine, sounding convinced of her own hypothesis. Well, she convinced him too. He stretched.

''What do we do then? This was our task to help the team'' He asked, knowing she had an answer because she would sound a lot more depressed if she had just given up.

''Trixx!'' Alya called, and the little kwami came to her floating after a little moment. Both Trixx and Wayzz had their own little corner on Nino's room to hang out when they knew no one would suddenly come in.

''Yes?'' Asked the tiny god, and Alya smiled.

''I'm a fox, right?'' The question took both kwamis and Nino by surprise, all of them looked at the reporter rising their eyebrows in confusion.

''Ummm… I'm a fox, you are the holder of the Fox kwami'' Clarified Trixx, still not sure where Alya was going.

''Foxes have good tracking abilities, like smell and eyesight'' She continued ignoring what the Kwami just said.

''Babe, where are you going with this?'' Asked Nino chuckling, entertained with his girlfriend antics but still a bit confused.

''It's simple, I just need to bond with Trixx so I get the abilities of a fox to track Lila'' She said as if she had the best idea ever.

''Or we could ask Adrien to do that…'' Said Nino suddenly hopeful, and Alya looked at him like he just ate the last bite of cake she was saving after a long day of drooling about it.

''But-'' She was about to argue when Trixx interrupted her

''Bonding with a kwami is not that easy, or fast, or simple'' Said the tiny fox, blunt as always. ''You have great qualities for the power of illusion, Alya, but you lost some connection with me for a while and are just now getting it back. It's a slow process, the Ladybug and the Chat Noir have been heroes permanently for longer, that's why they have bonded with Tikki and Plagg'' Nino kind of expected that already, since he was not feeling any different either after spending the last couple of weeks with Wayzz. But Alya looked extremely disappointed.

''Is it because I fell for Lila's lies?'' She asked sadly. Everytime that particular topic came out, his girlfriend would get so regretful he wanted to punch Lila himself. But he felt guilty for the same reasons, so he knew words of comfort didn't do much. Only time and making up to their friends would placate their feelings.

Trixx nodded, then floated closer to the girl to pat her cheek. ''Like I said, it will take time, but this will only make you even stronger, and our bond will eventually be indestructible'' That made Alya feel better because she smiled instantly. Nino grinned too.

''What about me? Am I a good turtle or nah?'' Asked the DJ jokingly looking at Wayzz, but he was actually kind of nervous about the answer.

''You're perfect bro'' Said the turtle kwami ''Ladybug did a great job choosing you two, I don't even think we needed a new guardian'' As soon as Wayzz said that Trixx started shaking his head.

''She was bonded when she had to choose, and balance was not completely achieved yet between her and Chat Noir. You know that Wayzz'' Commented the tiny fox.

''What do you mean?'' Asked Alya.

''When Ladybug bonds with her kwami, she gets a luck boost. But that is not a good thing, since meanwhile Chat Noir suffers from bad luck. If those two remained distant and not in tune with each other, it would only get worse, they are a pair after all'' Explained Trixx, making the couple open their eyes widely at the implications.

''So, Marinette was just lucky when she choose us?'' Asked Nino.

''She's a very powerful Ladybug with a lot of potential. I believe she was probably lucky even before bonding with Tikki. That's the only explanation I have for her being surrounded by so many worthy wielders of the miraculous, including you two'' Finished the fox, and Wayzz just decided he was done with the topic because he went back to his spot. The fox saw that and followed him and Alya thought they were silently communicating that they were talking too much. The fox did have a tendency of revealing a lot. Maybe they weren't supposed to know that?

''Do you think they know this, babe? Adrien and Marinette, I mean'' Pondered Nino after a short silence. Alya shrugged.

''I don't know'' She said, still digesting the new information.

''It might be a good thing. If they don't know, I mean'' Commented Nino. ''I know Adrien wouldn't like that he being with Marinette takes away her extreme good luck. He can be such a martyr sometimes, he might become very conflicted if he knew this''

Alya looked conflicted herself, too, Nino noticed.

''Babe, I know truth is your thing and all, but don't tell them this. At least not yet'' He suggested. He hated hiding stuff from their friends but he was certain that Adrien and Marinette's relationship was not ready for this.

Chat Noir followed his lady after leaving the two agents behind. He snapped out of his shock after hearing Plagg's name being brought up by a complete stranger, and noticed the direction they were going to.

They both landed beside a specific window on the Couffaine boat-house. The light was still on despite being almost 1AM on a school day. Was no one on their little team actually sleeping? Thought the cat absently as Ladybug called for Luka.

''Come in'' Said the older boy as soon as he saw who was outside his room. Chat Noir noticed he looked like a mix between someone that drank a lot of coffee but it didn't do anything for them. There was something familiar about how fidgety he was and how low energy he was acting at the same time, but he couldn't place it.

Then they saw the papers on the floor, a bunch of eggs bundled on a corner and in the middle of the room, the grimoire. Oh.

''You have been using the snake miraculous'' Pointed out the cat hero, pretty sure of his conclusion. His lady still didn't understand what was going on, looking between both boys with confusion. Luka nodded.

''How much?'' Asked Chat, and finally Ladybug seemed to pick up on the situation.

''You've been using the snake miraculous to... '' She didn't finish, distracted by all the notes on the floor. She picked one of the papers and Luka made a face that indicated he didn't like that at all, but decided to not complain. Chat Noir smirked.

''He's been studying for the equivalent of months, now'' Commented Sass, not sounding particularly phased or worried for his holder. Ladybug gaped.

''Luka!'' She scolded him, and Chat enjoyed every second of it. He never thought he'd see the usually chill and calm guitarist look like a little child who just got caught stealing candy.

''I'm fine I swear! I can take it'' He raised both arms defensively, then collected himself ''I checked with Sass first, turns out this way of using the snake miraculous is not that unorthodox'' He said, smiling proudly.

Ladybug sighed, then sat down, doing her best to avoid crumbling any of the notes on the floor. Chat did the same, he might not have spent virtually months studying an ancient language that night, but he was still tired.

''What have you discovered?'' Asked the red heroine, apparently accepting that there was no way of convincing Luka that what he did was wrong. The blond didn't think it was, he might have a newfound admiration for the guitarist, in fact.

''Oh, well… Not as much as I'd like to, yet. But I know that this book is composed of a bunch of stories, of that I'm sure'' He said, lifting the grimoire and opening one of the pages to show it to the heroes. It had drawings of all the jewels on it. ''Each of these stories teach a lesson about the jewels, the kwamis, the box or the heroes of the past that wielded them. The one I'm working on first is this one'' He pointed at one of the pages he had the book open on. ''And if I understood correctly, it talks about a sort of glamour that protects our identities when we are transformed'' As soon as he said that last part, both heroes opened their eyes and leaned in, interested.

''The way it works, is that only people that know the user very well or is very close to you can pick up who you are behind the mask. But they need some good clues too, it's not easy. For the rest, the story has a quote that, badly translated, says something like: ´´Only when the butterfly leaves the cocoon, the ants can see its shadow´´'' Explained the guitarist, doing his best to remember that last part. Chat was confused.

''Butterfly? Is it talking about Hawkmoth?'' He asked, and Ladybug and Luka simultaneously shook their heads.

''No Kitty, it's a metaphor, right?'' She said, and Luka nodded a bit too fast.

''Yes! This whole book is filled with them, on top of translating I need to solve riddles to understand what it's trying to say'' He closed the book ''But I think that one means that you need really hard evidence to tell who a hero is if you don't know them personally outside the mask. Or maybe I'm reaching and I need to sleep'' He finished, and Chat couldn't tell if he was joking or if he really was that unsure of his conclusion. This guy was genius, in his opinion.

''No, it makes a lot of sense, actually. I only guessed Chat Noir's identity when.. when I connected his sadness and what he was going through with Adriens situation.. Before that we were friends, but I don't think I understood him that well yet…'' She said, and it was Chat's turn to be surprised.

''And I was too blindsided by my love for Ladybug to pay enough attention to ´´my great friend Marinette´´. It's like we kept our distances on purpose'' He commented. Ladybug chuckled.

''To be fair, I had a hard time even talking to you until recently'' She said smiling.

''And I never let my civilian self act as over the top as Chat Noir'' He countered. He sure was glad they were over that.

''Well, imagine that but needed an even bigger amount of evidence. If Lila knows who you are, she probably just saw you transform or something similar. Maybe she followed you to Master Fu's place and when she saw the box, everything clicked for her. But for what you guys have told me, she should have known a lot sooner'' Luka commented, and the cat remembered that moment when he just met Lila as Adrien. Ladybug just showed up and said she was a liar, just like Marinette would do every time after that. Only magic explained how no one could put two and two together before.

''There is more to all this, of course, I still don't finish with this story. But It made me feel a bit safer knowing only people that knows us as civilian can even begin to guess our identities without us ´´getting out of the cocoon´´ in front of them'' Said the guitarist. The heroes nodded, sharing the relief this new information gave them.

''Anyways, that's all I have for now'' Luka said as he slumped on his bed. Maybe he was being a mad genius, but Ladybug was right on one thing: What Luka was doing was not without consequences. Chat remembered how foggy his mind was for days after he abused the snake miraculous himself. ''What did you guys come here for? Did we have a reunion and I forgot?'' He got up suddenly after saying that, light panic in his eyes. Yep, he needed some rest.

''No no, It's just… '' Ladybug hesitated a bit. Oh, Chat thought. Right, the Agents. They told the guardian everything, including the story about the peacock miraculous. Luka agreed with them that it was probably what explained Lila's actions so far. And about the agents, well…

''At least we know they can't discover our identities unless we reveal them'' Commented the guitarist, after they all shared how delicate the situation became. Them knowing about Plagg and probably more about the miraculous was the most worrisome thing.

''Lila knows…'' Whispered Ladybug. And Chat suddenly got a lot more worried.

''Damn… If she has contact with them…'' Said Luka, not so chill anymore. He even cursed, the cat hero noted despite his own concern rising.

''They might not like her that much, though. She is exactly what they seem to be against. A rogue magic user'' Said Ladybug, finding something positive, relaxing Chat a bit. ''One of them looked like he hated us just by existing''

''Agent T. '' Said Chat, nodding. He saw that too. He didn't speak much, but his gaze was fixated on both of them, full of rage.

''Still… this is bad, Lila's plan seems to be to make sure the heroes look like ´´rogue magic users´´ and untrustworthy. And she has the tool to work with'' Luka said, thoughtful. ''Maybe we can pin them against each other somehow… But we need to know more about them first''

''I'll tell Alya so she can investigate, she's good at that'' Said Ladybug, and then they were all too tired and on their own thoughts to keep talking. This hole they were in was just getting deeper and deeper, and Chat Noir knew he was guilty for it. He lost control, he destroyed Lila's house, he was the real ´´rogue magic user´´ here.

Ladybug noticed his distress, apparently, because she put a hand on his shoulders and whispered. ''It's not your fault. Lila started all of this, please remember that Kitty. I won't let her get inside your head again'' Then she hugged him, which he reciprocated with passion.

He was so grateful for her. Even when they didn't know who each other was, or were in a romantic relationship, Chat Noir was grateful for how easy it was for them to share moments like these. Just supporting each other.

Their moment got interrupted by a soft snort. Luka was on his bed completely knocked out. Both heroes started moving towards the window, avoiding all the stuff on the floor and trying to not laugh too loudly. Sass waved them goodbye before turning the light off on his holders room.

After the hilarity of the moment passed and they were on the crossroad where they usually splet to go to their respective homes, Ladybug grabbed his hand before he could go on his way. She looked at him with those two beautiful blue eyes of her, that under the moonlight seemed to shine even brighter. He smiled at her, then kissed her.

After that, no goodbyes or words were needed, they told each other with their expressions everything that was needed to know for the night, then parted ways.

The next morning started pretty good, in Marinette's opinion. She entered the classroom and noticed Lila was not there. The liar was usually early, so the aspiring designer concluded she would not show up today. Good. Marinette was too distracted by her sleepiness and her memories of last nights kiss under the moonlight to deal with her enemies. Lila could be dead from the curse for all she cared.

She sat down on her desk and Alya immediately slided her a note. Marinette read it then shrugged. So they couldn't find Lila's address, at least not with Alyas resources. Marinette was still too happy from last night to be bothered by that, besides she wasn't expecting Nino and Alya to succeed, if she was being honest. It was worth a try.

Adrien came porting a look similar to hers: Sleepy but drunk with happiness. His face brightened when he saw her. They waved each other and Marinette could feel Alyas smirk by her side. Nino greeted his best friend and they started chatting. Marinette heard her boyfriend tell the DJ about Luka's discovery of last night, using the smallest amount of revealing words possible, just in case.

''He's done so much with his...jewel, I'm kind of feeling behind. But I'm inspired, you know? I'll do my best to learn how to use my uh, black thing, outside of the...outfit, and control it better'' It was kind of funny to listen to him try his best to avoid key words like that,Marinette imagined how confusing that conversation must be for anyone else hearing it.

But then she her mind woke up a little and his words hit her hard: He was able to use his powers without being transformed and he could control Destructions pure form. What has she learned recently? Nothing, she just stopped being the guardian and produced a pink light when they hugged, but that was not a power up, right?. Adrien said he was feeling behind compared to Luka, but then what was left for her?.

Marinette was fretting about her newfound insecurities when a familiar sound that she never thought she would hear ever again filled the room.

The Akuma attack alarm.

Marinette being clumsy? Just a character trait, nothing to do with luck in this fic, nope :P

Thank you for reading!


	19. Voices

''I AM TITAN, AND I WILL GET LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR'S MIRACULOUS FOR HAWKMOTH!''

The heroic duo exhaled at the same time, glaring at the villain from a rooftop.

This was obviously a sentimonster made by lila to look like an Akuma. It was such a pathetic attempt at it, it might just work, thought Ladybug. The ''victim'' was a giant mass of purple smoke that was not destroying anything in particular but was scaring the shit out of people anyways. The citizens of Paris ran towards all directions, trying to avoid the blasts of smoke that Titan was shooting. They did absolutely nothing. Ladybug pondered on the irony of it. Lila's words were all smoke, bluffs. This sentimonster seemed to be made of the same thing the girl was.

''My lady?'' Asked Chat Noir by her side, he was ready to fight, baton out and spinning, waiting for her to decide how to approach this.

''Alright, let's do this'' She said after letting out another sigh.

The heroes were in trouble. Not because of the sentimonster, the fight was the easiest that the heroes had encountered in their careers. Ladybug used her Lucky charm early just to get over with it, got a little paper windmill and knew exactly what to do. Both heroes only had to spin their weapons to produce enough wind to clear up the smoke that composed Titans body, and all that was left was a pocket mirror. The red heroine destroyed it and purified the Amok.

No, the fight was not the problem. The problem was the aftermath. Once the heroes landed in the middle of the street, they noticed Lila talking to a bunch of people and reporters.

''And then I got Akumatized, I'm sorry I didn't want to be Titan, it's just that my house turned to smoke recently… It was so scary I'm not over it yet'' She was lying out of her ass again. She was pretending to be an Akuma victim so her russe would be complete! thought Ladybug, suddenly alarmed after realizing the girls plan.

There were a couple gasps coming from the crowd, and some of them frowned in disapproval at the approaching heroes.

''Oh, um, I should be going…'' Lila said, shaking and looking terrified once she saw Chat Noir. Before she could leave, however, she started coughing. Someone put a hand on her shoulder and she seemed genuinely surprised at the kind gesture, then ran away. Ladybug wanted to follow her, but the crowd was swarming Chat Noir and he was not dealing with it very well.

''Look what you've done!'' Said a man pointing a finger at the cat hero, who just stood shocked with no idea of how to react.

''Hawkmoth was not defeated! you lied!'' Said another one, just as angry.

The protests continued and the heroine could not take it anymore, so she grabbed her partners hand and tugged him to move. He snapped out of the surprise the people's reaction left him in and they both got out, while still hearing screams and protests.

And to put the cherry on the cake, just as they were leaving Ladybug saw Agent A's face down in the street too, looking at her again with his stupid smirk.

The situation back at the classroom was not any better. Adrien and Marinette came back from their ´´bathroom break´´ and entered what was virtually a warzone.

The students were on their phones, and Marinette concluded they all probably looked at the whole fight live on the news. The teacher was late too, so there was no control over the arguments that ensued after the scene.

The fight was between those who believed the heroes still, and those who, with the recent show, lost even more faith in them. Kim, Juleka, Rose, Mylene and Ivan were arguing simultaneously with Alya, Nino, Alix and Max. Nathaniel, Chloe and Sabrina choosing to stay away from the conflict.

''I think Chat Noir is not good anymore, and Ladybug doesn't know what to do with him'' Marinette heard Mylene comment. The quiet girl was with whatever her boyfriend thought about the situation, and Ivan was Lila's biggest fan from the beginning.

''I knew that from the start. His powers are destruction and bad luck, of course he's a villain'' Said Kim, arrogantly sure of his affirmation. Marinette frowned, remembering how the guy just a month ago was claiming that Chat Noir was the cooler hero *Because* he could destroy things.

''You tell them, Alya, you have spoken with the heroes many times. There has to be something more going on that we don't know of'' Said Max after adjusting his glasses. Alya looked a bit trapped there, she was all for stating her opinion but she couldn't really back it up right now. Not without revealing too much.

''Chat Noir is a hero, all of us have been saved by him and Ladybug at least once, we should be grateful for his efforts and have some faith'' The designer said, and Alya gave her a silent ´´Thank you´´ for rescuing her. Kim started laughing.

''Marinette is the most stupid of all of us! she hates Lila so much she's happy that Chat Noir attacked her and now she gets Akumatized for it'' Exclaimed the athlete, taking things a bit too far even for those who agreed with him in some points. He was the only one clapping at his comment.

''She's not stupid, I understand how hard it is to not be blinded by love'' Said Rose, doing her best to be impartial. ''But Marinette, the heroes lied, just like you say Lila does. I'm disappointed that you can't even admit that Hawkmoth was not defeated when it's so obvous now that he's still around'' The usually sweet girl crossed her arms, and Juleka by her side nodded. Marinette wondered, in the middle of her distress, what would Luka think of his sister not being on the heroes side.

The designer felt defeated. She knew she was on the good side deep down, but right now her emotions were wack, making her doubt everything. Adrien didn't seem to be doing much better, the boy had been quiet the whole time, not even bothering to defend his image. He was probably still shocked by all the vitriol that was spit to him after the battle.

The teacher arrived just moments after Marinette was left without words, and they all went to their seats. The blue haired girl decided to look at her classmates one more time as they sat down. Mylene was uncomfortable sitting next to Alix, who just glared daggers at anyone who disagreed with her. Something similar was going on between Max and Kim, she noticed the former being shoved by the bigger boy as he sat down. Juleka and Rose were whispering among each other and nodding. And Chloe? Chloe was looking at Marinette in the eyes.

The blonde had her hand briefly covering her mouth, but when both girls locked gazes, her awe turned into squinting eyes, and then a serious nod. What even was that supposed to mean?

Marinette got a chill on the back of her neck as the rich girl then proceeded to ignore her as always for the rest of the class. She had the whole day to think about it, but it was only when the group was approaching the meeting point with Luka that it came to her.

Chloe knew who she was.

Lila was having another one of those painful coughing fits. Why did she have to get sick now, when her plans were finally progressing?

Her performance that morning was spectacular, she should receive an oscar for being able to both control what Titan would scream for all of Paris to hear, and for acting as the victim after the monster was defeated. Lila stood up once the shaking subsided, and opened a cabinet on her new private bathroom. She was about to take another pill for this stupid cold when she heard a voice.

''That won't do anything for you'' Said someone behind the girl, and it was not Duusu. The little bird ignored Lila now after she did that to her for long enough. The kwami was being too annoying while she practiced making sentimonsters, so Lila punished it with silence.

''Who said that?'' She asked, trying to remain calm. There was no one on the room with her.

There was no answer except for a faint feminine laugh, and Lila's anxiousness grew as she spin around the place, frantically searching the source of it.

''I think Chloe knows who I am'' Suddenly commented Marinette in the middle of their reunion.

They decided to meet somewhere else, since during the day none of their houses was particularly private, and it was still too early for anyone to be sleeping. They chose one of the many deserted alleys in the city, where no one except a lost person would wander to. There was a spot between three buildings that had enough space for all of them to sit in a circle, protecting the kwamis on the center from any wandering eye. It was behind a cafe, and the smell was delicious.

''What makes you think that?'' Asked Luka, genuinely curious. He hadn't told them about his chat with Chloe yet, but he wanted to know Marinette's thought on the girl and this was perfect.

''She just gave me this look today, after the Akuma attack. Like she was expecting more of me, or something like that. I don't know'' The guitarist didn't like how shy Marinette was sounding that day, and Tikki looked at her charge like she didn't either. Sure, the situation was dire, and her boyfriend looked just as depressed, but they had to keep their heads high or Lila would instantly win.

''I think she saw my cataclysm the other day, too'' Commented Adrien absentmindedly. The model probably didn't care much that Chloe knew who he was at this point. Nino, on the other hand, was alarmed.

''What? Dude! She's the meanest girl after Lila, how can you just let her see that?'' Exclaimed the DJ. Alya and Marinette were not on his side, however.

''She has been behaving a lot lately'' Said the fox heroine and her best friend nodded.

''Yeah, and she rescued Adrien that day… I saw the cataclysm too, but was too slow to react. He might have ended all our problems right there if Chloe hadn't said anything'' Said Marinette.

''Bruh, maybe she wanted to save Lila's life. Should have just let Adrien finish her right there'' Joked Nino, but almost everyone else frowned at the comment.

''I think my rep is bad enough already, Nino'' Whispered Adrien with no energy.

Luka was not sure he liked how Marinette seemed to like Nino's distasteful joke. Tikki was not pleased either, but remained quiet.

''Well you guys are right about one thing. Chloe did help Adrien there on purpose. I asked her to watch out for him'' Blurted the guardian, and at least that stopped them from looking so depressed for a moment. They gaped at him, kwamis included, instead.

''You told her?'' Asked Marinette, shocked. Luka immediately shook his head.

''She knew already when I visited her the other night. She told me she wanted to protect her Adrikin's identity at all costs'' He said, and smiled as Adrien instantly relaxed upon hearing that. Plagg was disgusted just by hearing the nickname, though.

''She learned to keep a secret?'' Bit Alya, but she sounded more impressed than snarky to Luka.

''I don't like it, babe. She might turn against us any moment now'' Said Nino. He really didn't like the blonde.

''Leave Chloe to me, I'll deal with her'' Promised Luka, and Adrien dedicated him a cheeky smile all of a sudden.

''You are the other invitation!'' He exclaimed pointing at the older boy. Luka just frowned at the model in confusion, as did the rest.

''Chloe wanted an extra invitation for ´´some guy she just met´´ to the Easter fashion gala. Wait… umm'' Adrien started hesitating once he noticed Luka didn't know what he was talking about. Plagg laughed out loud, and the other kwamis giggled too.

''She has not invited me yet, but thanks for ruining the surprise'' Said Luka in a tone that didn't match his words, while also smiling brightly. Adrien laughed softly, one hand behind his neck in embarrassment.

''My bad... just act surprised when she invites you, will you?. She never had many friends outside of me and Sabrina'' Said the model, and Nino muttered something like ´´wonder why that is´´ jokingly by his side. Alya and Marinette chuckled.

The group conversed casually a bit more, all the gloom gone, to Luka's relief. Sadly he would have to ruin that once more, they had problems to solve, after all.

''So, Lila is using sentimonsters to make Ladybug and Chat Noir look like liars, what can we do about that?'' As soon as he brought out the topic the giggling and joking stopped, but at least the group started looking determined and angry instead of sad and depressed again.

''I think I should have an interview, a real one, with the media'' Suggested Marinette.

''To tell them what? We can't just say the other one was a fake without revealing that the box was stolen…and that might be even worse'' Said Alya. Adrien looked between the two, back and forth, looking unsure.

''Maybe we should say that the recent attack was not Hawkmoth, but Mayura. You guys never really announced that you got her too, and no one asked either'' Said Luka. Marinette, Adrien and Nino seemed to like his idea, but Alya was frowning and shaking her head, her kwami doing the same.

''We shouldn't lie'' Stated the reporter ''Last time we did it it backfired, when we tried to cover up for the attack on Lila's house… I don't think we can fight fire with fire… or that we should'' Trixx had a wide smile and almost looked like he wanted to applaud Alya.

Their hero team end up agreeing with the fox hero that lying would only create more problems and situations for Lila to manipulate, she was the expert on that, not them. At the end of their reunion, the only concrete plan they had was to keep investigating their enemies and to prove to the cameras next time Lila attacks that the enemy was a sentimonster, and not an Akuma, and declare that Hawkmoth was in fact dealt with. That is one thing they could promise to Paris, and Lila would not be able to act as a fake Akuma victims too many times just to disprove it, or she would end up being too suspicious.

Luka split from the group and prepared himself mentally for another session of translating the grimoire. It was the only thing he could do for now, and he was sure as hell not gonna waste anymore ´´time´´.


	20. Just a wish

''Hero or menace? That is the question the denizens of Paris have in their heads lately, regarding the once beloved Chat Noir after he presumably attacked an innocent girls house, the hero has not given any statement so far on the issue and-'' A reporter was saying on the TV, the saturday morning news segment suddenly interrupting the Dupain-Cheng's breakfast.

''Dad, could you turn that off please?'' Asked the only child of the household after moaning in discomfort.

''Sure, sweety'' Said the baker, but he was slow enough that the family caught a peek at Lila's terrified face cowering from the cat hero's presence after the ´´Akuma´´ attack from the other day. If Marinette didn't know Lila already and all her plotting, she would honestly feel bad for her. The image was striking, fake as it was, the look of a poor girl who lost her home to a rogue supernatural being and then was victimized by another was a sad thing. The designer hated to admit it, but there was no space to wonder why half the city hated the black clad hero now.

She could only be grateful that her parents were 100% on her side. After what Lila tried to pull off years ago by getting her temporarily expelled from school, the couple of bakers had nothing but frowns and disapproving shakes of the head everytime the Italian girl came up in conversation.

''I can't believe people would distrust our heroes, just like that'' Commented Tom while looking at his daughter. He probably wanted her to get worked up and discuss the topic with them, instead of moping and barely eating her food.

Lila did not go back to class that week, so any plans of following her or confrontations were delayed once more, leaving the heroes with the same tasks they already had before and no way of fixing their public image, since there were no more attacks either.

''Yes, there must be some kind of explanation for all of this'' Said her mother, looking at Marinette with the same worried eyes as her father. The girl sighed.

''I'll go to my room, need to study'' She said, kissing both her parents on both cheeks and taking the rest of her breakfast to her room.

Once alone, Marinette left the baked goods on her desk and slumped on her bed, bringing a pillow to her face.

''Cheer up Marinette! You have no school for two weeks, you can work on solving this full time now!'' Said Tikki, floating above the bed. The girl groaned under her pillow.

''That's not a good thing Tikki, our only chance of finding out where Lila has the box was by following her home after classes!'' She said, lifting the pillow just enough time to not sound muffled, then putting it back on her face as she was done speaking.

''Not everything is bad, you have the Gala to work on, too. Which one of your designs are you making for the party?'' The tiny god was trying really hard to lift her spirits, and if she was honest the topic of the Easter fashion gala was really exciting for the girl, but the constant stress on the back of her mind tainted any good feeling. Still, she decided to bite the bullet.

''I don't know Tikki, I have these two but one is too boring and the other one...'' She got up and looked at her wall of drawings. There were two dresses surrounded by all the references for their designs and stickers of stars. One of them was a cute pink dress, but Marinette liked it less and less as time passed. There was honestly not a lot going on for it, and in that gala so many famous designers and fashion icons would be there, she needed to impress.

''Yeah, It's a bit ...revealing'' Said Tikki, but it was obvious by the longing on her voice that the kwami really liked it. She was staring at the second drawing: A long red dress, with black dots that highlighted certains zones of the wearers body, like the shoulders and the hips. There was a long transparent cape on its back that simulated bug wings and she even put some of the designs taken from the grimoire and the miraculous box to decorate. Marinette loved it. But it was Ladybugs dress, not hers.

''Luka said the glamour is strong, but wearing this in public as Marinette would be just tempting fate'' She sighed.

''Why don't you go to the gala as Ladybug, then?'' Asked Tikki, seemingly innocent. But the tiny god knew what kind of ideas that comment would spawn on her chosen's head. Marinette opened her eyes and stood still, thinking hard.

''You know what… It's not as crazy as it sounds'' She said, then shook her head ''But we would have no glamour on without our suits… people would recognize Marinette'' The girl kept pondering on the subject, though. It would be good, she thought, really good if a place with cameras and prestigious people like the Easter fashion gala was attended by the heroes. If they put a good show, it would help fix their images. She started even formulating a speech the heroes could make to the public, asking for Paris's patience and explaining that this enemy was not Hawkmoth but a pretender.

''I'm sure you can figure something out'' Commented Tikki, smiling and sneaking a pastry out of Marinette's breakfast plate.

Her mind started working full speed, trying to figure out how much could they repair their reputations before Lila snapped and just revealed their secrets. But what if they showed everyone how much of a liar she was before she could do anything? Would her credibility suffer enough for her word to not be valid anymore?.

''This could work'' She whispered, hopeful and amazed at how easy it became for her to get ideas when she stopped thinking that they needed to get the stolen miraculous first. She literally needed to think outside the box.

She finally had a plan! or at least the skeleton of one. They just needed to charm everyone on the gala and use the events live cameras to their benefit, and Lila could no longer threaten them with what she knew if her reputation was ruined at the same time. Taking the box would be the next step, but she would cross that bridge when she reached it, she decided.

Marinette smiled. She was finally seeing the end of this tunnel. And it was glorious, she thought, smiling as she examined her design.

''That girl is crazy'' Said Alya after ending her call with a really excited Marinette. She looked skeptic to the untrained eye, but Nino could tell his girlfriend was actually complimenting the designer with her comment. They had a very rushed group call, where Marinette didn't go into too many details but revealed she had an idea of how to deal with Lila. They all decided to meet tomorrow to discuss the details.

''I say she's a genius'' Said Nino, knowing perfectly well that Alya thought the same and that this was not really a discussion.

''Our problem with Lila's schemes was that if we moved one step against her, she had our secrets to corner us back, and she's been slowly ruining Chat Noir and Ladybug's image, too'' The reporter was thinking out loud now, Nino deciding to just nod along. ''But if we use all our cards at the same time, Lila's credibility is done for, she would only have the box… And if our theory is correct and she can only use one miraculous, she's just basically a new Hawkmoth, one whose name we already know'' She finished, gesturing with her hands and pacing around the room.

''We just have to go all out at once, got it'' Synthesized Nino.

''Tell the truth!'' Exclaimed Trixx, excited.

''Yes but it's not as simple as that, it needs to look organic to the public. We also need to avoid helping people connect our civilian relationships with Lila and the heroes'' Said Alya.

But they already knew, thanks to Luka, that most people wouldn't be able to connect the dots unless they detransformed in front of them or something similarly powerful. It was all fitting together for this plan.

''We could ´´accidentally´´ leak our document on Lila just before the party'' Suggested Nino.

''We could, but I don't think most people would read it before the event, it's too slow and too unimportant of a topic for most people'' Said Alya. She sat down again, done with her pacing, and crossed her legs. ''That document can still be useful, though. We know most of the people she has lied about. Many of them will be in the gala, too! Like prince Ali!'' She exclaimed, starting to sound just as excited as Marinette was on the call.

''How would Ladybug and Chat Noir go to the gala as themselves, though. I mean Adrien's father can invite them, sure, but how would they protect their identities?'' Asked Nino ''And what would be the excuse for his own son to not be there?''

''He could be ´´sick´´, that's the easiest thing to solve here, babe'' Alya giggled, thinking of the stoic fashion icon Gabriel Agreste, telling the press that his son has diarrhea or something and can't assist the biggest fashion event of the year. She shared that with her boyfriend, and they both started listing stuff it would be funny for the man to excuse his son with, each getting more and more ridiculous. They entertained the idea for a bit, while knowing perfectly well that Alya had the power to make illusions, too.

''And you forgot one thing about this event, Nino'' Said Alya, back to the topic after wiping her laughing tears away from her eyes.

''What?'' The boy could not be asked to know every single detail of this party, firstly because he usually was not invited, and secondly, because he paid zero attention to that kind of stuff, model best friend or not. It if was for him, he would go wearing any suit and his red hat, and just eat all the food and be done with it. The music probably sucked, too.

''It's a masquerade''

Viperion couldn't help but laugh. He just couldn't hold it anymore, knowing already what Chloe wanted to propose. The girl in front of him was struggling to bring the topic up, blushing like the school girl she was and pretending she didn't really care about what she wanted to tell him, while hiding the invitation on her back. She was acting like one of those anime characters, those that were never honest with their feelings.

''What's so funny?!'' She said when she noticed his amusement. He went to visit her that saturday to tell her that the others kind of already knew that she was onto them. But before he could, she interrupted him saying she had something to tell him. Hence, the present moment.

''How do you want me to dress up? Also, you don't even know my name, Chloe. You sure want a stranger in your rich people party?'' He smirked, enjoying all the emotions showing up on the blondes face as he said that. The surprise was ruined, but it was oh so worth it. He never imagined someone with the reputation of Chloe Bourgeois, the second terror of Paris after Hawkmoth, could have such a cute face when her mind stopped working.

''How- Who- … That cat!'' She kicked one foot on the ground and started pacing as she rambled about how their friendship was over, but not really because he owed her for protecting his ass. Viperion smiled, just waiting for her to finish her venting.

''And I don't need to know who you are, you can go as a hero. I'm sure that's the best suit you have, and it's a masquerade anyways!'' She practically barked. The hero could tell she was not really that mad, but at the same time, that this was hard for her. To open up enough to let someone new in. Adrien did mention she doesn't have that many friends. He still wanted to tease her a bit more before getting honest, though.

''What if I'm a super unfashionable person outside of the mask? And I decided I want to go on my pajamas to the gala?'' He asked, smirking. He was pretty sure, that, deep down, Chloe was not that shallow. But if he was being honest with himself, it worried him a bit that he really might not be exactly what the girl considered ´´acceptable´´ as a civilian. The single fact that he was feeling a bit insecure was something he decide to archive for later analysis, not wanting to have two people with confused feelings in the same room right now.

''Have you seen Sabrina, the person I spend most of my time with? I don't care if you dress like a hobo. Besides, you'd look good in pajamas too'' As soon as she said that last comment, her face turned red and she covered her mouth with both hands. She looked like someone who just called the teacher ´´mom´´ in class.

Viperion let out a good laugh this time, and he was so distracted by his own amusement he almost missed the tiny smirk that crossed the girls face as she watched him. Was she happy that she made him laugh? Or was she smiling because she was having a nervous breakdown? He had no idea what she was thinking, and that was so alien for the snake hero.

She produced a fake annoyed expression and then handed him the invitation when he composed himself. He smiled with as much respect as he could, then took the piece of paper. She took that well, because she did a little self sufficient nod and looked ready to change topics. Not so fast, he thought.

''I'm curious, Chloe. Who do you think I am?'' He asked again after a silent moment. She took the question seriously enough, because she frowned then took her time to answer.

''You say I know you outside of that suit?'' She guessed. He nodded.

''We've crossed paths, and I told you my name a couple times. But knowing you, you probably still don't remember it'' He gave her enough information to answer her question, but he wanted her to think about this for a while, to test the power of the glamour. With what he just told her, he was sure there weren't that many blue-haired dudes with earrings that had a connection both to her and to Adrien in her circle. Not to mention that, if she really knew Marinette was Ladybug, she had another clue right there. This was the prefect chance to see just how powerful the glamour was.

''Why don't you just tell me?'' She pouted. That was kind of cute, thought the hero, but he would not fall for it.

''It's an experiment, I'll tell you if you can't guess anyways, but I'm testing the power of the glamour that protects our identities when we are transformed'' There was no problem in telling her that, he figured.

''Well I give up. Like you said, I probably didn't even catch your name'' She stated, was that disappointment in her voice?

''What is my hair color?'' He asked, and she frowned. He could tell she was losing some patience already. Too bad, he really needed to confirm something.

''It's obviously blue, what kind of question is that?'' She answered, crossing her arms.

''How many people with blue hair do you know?'' He questioned her then, and she opened her eyes wide, becoming suddenly still.

''What?'' He asked after a while of her not responding. She was just standing there thinking with that surprised look on her face.

''I know… I know I KNOW someone with blue hair, but I can't picture who right now'' She whispered, and her eyes squinted as if she was trying to look through fog while staring at him.

''You have really bad memory, then'' He teased.

''No! It's like.. I know someone, and I know that I know someone with blue hair, I just can't recall anything about that person right now, heck I can't even remember if it was male or female! And if it wasn't for you asking me all these questions, I wouldn't even think of that person even if I tried to learn who you are, this is so annoying!'' Well, that was interesting.

So the glamour didn't make her forget people or make her see changed features, but it made it impossible for her to make a connection. Unless she was thinking about the civilian first, as the grimoire said, she wouldn't be able to think about Luka clearly until Viperion was gone, and by then her brain would never connect the dots anyways.

''Sass, scales rest'' The hero said, and a bright turquoise light enveloped Viperion. When the light disappeared, Luka was standing in Chloe's room instead. The girl gaped.

''You're Juleka's brother!'' She pointed while examining him.

''Can I still go to the gala in pajamas?'' He asked, smiling as Chloe circled him like a lioness about to eat her prey. He was not going to show it, but he was kind of nervous. Luka had to admit by now that he liked Chloe, something he never thought he would. He didn't admire her like he did with Marinette, but she was extremely fun to talk to. She was also very pretty, specially when she had her guard down. So her judgement was a bit more important to him than he would have liked it to be. Everyone knew how cruel Chloe Bourgeois could be.

Those were the thoughts that distracted the guitarist from noticing that Chloe was rummaging on one of her huge wardrobes now.

''What is she doing, massster?'' Whispered his kwami to his ear, sounding worried. Luka shrugged.

Chloe found whatever she was looking for, because she nodded happily then took a giant plastic bag out of her closet, then handed it to him.

''What is this?'' He asked, examining the bag.

''A suit, duh!'' She said, but her tiny smile contrasted the nastiness of her tone.

Luka did not like others choosing what he should or shouldn't wear. He liked his style and he was not ready to change it anytime soon, but this was a formal party, and he didn't really have the appropriate clothes. So he took the bag. He still had no idea what she was thinking, though.

''Why do you have men's clothes in your closet?'' He asked. She rolled her eyes as if the answer should be obvious.

''That one is for when my Adrikins gets a bit taller, I predict it would take at least another year for him to be able to wear it'' She said. He was pretty sure Adrien had his own expensive suits, but he would stop questioning her for now. As much fun as he was having right now, he came for business too, after all.

''Thanks… I'll return it after the party'' He smiled at her, then called back for his transformation, bag on his hands disappearing with it. Chloe was now looking at him in awe.

''It's so weird, I can see it clearly now, the similarities, I mean. That glamour surely is powerful. Why doesn't it work for me?'' She asked, which prompted a brief explanation of how the magic hid their identities.

''But why did it stop working for Adrikins and Dupain-Cheng?'' She wondered. So she did know who Ladybug was, he concluded.

''What were you thinking about when you realized it?'' He asked.

''Well Adrikins came one day sporting those cat fangs and black nails. It was kind of obvious, and I wasn't even that surprised, I always knew he was a dork, deep inside'' Viperion snorted at that. Yeah, Chat Noir was kind of silly sometimes. Not much lately, though, he thought sadly.

''But for Ladybug… I always admired her, she… She represents everything I want to be'' The amount of honesty in that statement surprised the hero, but he said nothing and let her continue. ''And then I saw her defending Chat Noir in class… and somehow it all clicked. I never really wanted to admit this, and I'll kill you personally if you say any of this to her, by the way, but that baker girl can be really cool sometimes. My brain just put that together with the fact that I already knew who Chat Noir was, and it clicked'' She finished saying, not a single ounce of malice in her voice as she spoke.

Viperion realized that the moment Chloe admitted to herself the qualities that Marinette shared with the heroine was the moment she entered the ´´Know a person´´ category, at least for the glamour, so she needed very little evidence to connect the dots. The power was consistent, at least. That was the most important thing to confirm before they could move on with their plans, he thought.

''Say something'' She demanded, returning him to the real world again.

''You have been very helpful today, Chloe'' He smiled at her. ''The others already suspect you are onto them, so I guess there is no point in keeping you on the sidelines anymore'' The way her eyes lightened up at hearing that made the boy feel Akumas in his stomach.

''Queen Bee is back!''

Lila was feeling like death. She was curled up on her bed, no energy to get up today. Just as she had everyday after she started practicing with her miraculous. Her mind was not better, that voice she heard sometimes making itself more present every moment.

''What is wrong with me'' She cried in self pity. She could no longer say she was surprised when she heard the mysterious voice answer her question.

''You are cursed, child'' Said whatever ghost was haunting her. Lila was done being scared of it.

''What do you mean? Who even are you?!'' She demanded, anger fueling her energy again.

''You've been making too many of those'' The voice had no body, but it was obvious what she was referring to. A sentimonster that looked like a shadow of Chat Noir was sitting on her bedroom floor. She had been trying to create a replica of the hero, just like she did with no problems with Ladybug, but for some reason she couldn't. It always came out looking like that monster that attacked her in her old house.

She didn't respond to the voice, lost in her thoughts. If only she could recreate a credible looking Chat Noir, she would finally cement the citizens doubt on the heroes and turn Paris against him. Her revenge would only be complete when Adrien Agreste's life was ruined.

''You fear him, child. Sentimonsters are your creations, but they depend on emotions, and you are terribly afraid of the cat'' The voice sounded like she was mocking Lila, but what she said made sense. Still, she wasn't sure listening to her was wise. Was she going crazy?

''Who are you?'' She asked again, not so angry anymore. She coughed.

''I'm the reason you are cursed, too. We share our crimes'' She said, then a soft laugh filled the room.

Lila was sure by now that the kwami could not hear this voice, only her, because the stupid bird was sleeping soundly even though the voice was not terribly quiet. She should have woken up by now.

''How can I fix this?'' Whispered Lila, feeling pathetic. She had become desperate enough to start asking ghosts for help. Great.

''You just need a wish'' Again, even without a physical form or a face, Lila could tell the voice was smiling.


	21. A monster for a monster

Adrien walked towards the bakery that saturday evening, smiling to himself. He managed to leave the mansion without the gorilla following him, and he didn't even have to sneak out this time. His father just told the bodyguard to let him be, since it was a short walk to Marinette's. He was pondering if he should buy her flowers on the way when he recognized a familiar face.

''Lila'' He whispered to himself, though he knew Plagg could hear him just fine. She was chatting with Mylene. Probably trying to make sure her story was still being believed by the class. She shouldn't even bother, thought Adrien, sour. She had that girl eating from the palm of her hand already.

He had the urge to hide from them for some reason, but couldn't do it on time before the Italian girl saw him. She stood in her position in front of the boy, suddenly paralyzed, eyes wide open.

''Hey Adrien'' Said Mylene, oblivious to the tension between Lila and the model.

''Hey Mylene'' Greeted Adrien, utilizing one of the famous Agreste smiles. Mylene responded with one of her own. ''Would you mind if I robbed Lila from you for a second? I just want to chat'' He said. Lila looked a bit panicked still, but Mylene accepted anyways. ''Just don't fight, ok?'' She warned before leaving them alone.

''What do you want, Agreste?'' Asked Lila with all the poison she could infuse her voice with. He smiled again, actually liking being in an honest situation with the liar. No one to watch, no more pretensions.

''You are gonna die if you keep doing what you are doing'' He said, voice low. She opened her eyes in fear again, but then composed herself and anger took over.

''Is that a threat?'' She demanded. He shook his head.

''You know what I mean. My mother was a holder of the peacock too, you know. Before she ´´disappeared´´'' He tried his best to not lose it while mentioning his mother to the girl, and he succeeded. He had gone over so much since the last time Lila riled him up by mentioning Emily. He now knew what happened to his mother, the tightness in his chest he felt was different. It was a muted longing, nostalgia mixed with still some sorrow. But no more anger because he didn't know why she left, no more desperation at trying to keep his memories of her intact. It still hurt, but he had control over it now.

Lila still looked like she wanted to run away from him and Adrien realized that this was not an act. There was no one around to misdirect, just him.

''Why the sudden worry, Kitty'' She teased after seemingly getting a bit over her slight trembling. He hated how the nickname sounded coming from her mouth.

''I don't like you, and I never will. But saving people is still my duty, you are playing with things you know nothing about, Lila. It's time you stop'' He said and then he took one arm out, hand open, waiting for her to give up her miraculous. He knew it wasn't gonna work just like that, but he had to try. Lila let out a fake laugh.

''Don't pretend to be a hero now, we both know what you are'' She said full of vitriol, then she whispered ''You are destruction, a monster, and I will show Paris the truth'' Lila smirked, though her lip was still trembling, and walked past him.

''See ya'' She said as if they just had a talk about the weather.

He watched as she turned the corner of the street, then ran to an alley. This was his chance. He called for his transformation before Plagg could say whatever he tried to tell him, and sneaked above the Italian girl. This was it, he would find her house, get the miracle box back, and finally fix this mess he got his friends in.

The cat hero followed Lila around for an hour before she finally went back home. She talked to a bunch of people, both from their class and outsiders, throwing more lies at them about how bad she had it after Chat Noir destroyed her house. He had to stop himself from intervening a couple times and just let her do her talking. As infuriating as it was, he knew it would be a futile effort to try to defend himself, she would just double down on her attacks. Besides, he smiled sharply, this is what he wanted all along. Lilas new house location.

Chat Noir waited a bit for the girl to enter, then he saw a light on the duplex turn on. That must be her room, he concluded, climbing the walls silently to peek in. Lila was having another cough attack inside, and he saw Duusu worriedly trying to comfort her. That poor kwami, not having a break since who knew how long ago. But then Lila started talking, and the hero thought at the beginning that she was chatting with the tiny god, but no, the kwami floated quietly while the girl was having a one sided conversation. That was weird.

He was preparing himself to wait until she left the room to search for the box when Lila suddenly looked at the window, straight at him, as if someone told her to do so in that moment. They locked gazes for a second before she screamed for her transformation. His cover was broken, and he had no idea how.

Oh well, he would fight for the miraculous, then. He jumped inside the room and Pavona already was taking a feather out of her fan. She whispered some hushed words, still looking at him with those terrified green eyes, and first he thought that whatever she tried to summon failed. But then a giant hand grabbed him from outside, taking him out of the place.

The sentimonster was an enormous golem made of blue stone, with streaks of green metal decorating its body. The eyes of the creature shone with a bright purple light, and that same energy surrounded his upper body in what looked like flames. Alright, he thought, this was possibly the most terrifying Sentimonster he had ever seen, bravo, Pavona.

After exchanging a couple blows with the creature, Chat Noir quickly noticed that this monster was predicting all of his moves. It was like it was made specifically to repel him. And that made a whole lot of sense. Lila was terrified of him, and the peacock miraculous used emotions to create sentimonsters. This was the result of the girl trying to defend herself from the one thing that paralyzed her in fear. And it was working.

The black cat hero was thrown across the river in front of Lila's duplex, and he landed hard on the stone of the other side. The golem then leaped and, with more agility that one would expect from such a giant being, it landed on top of him, taking the air out of his lungs. This was bad. The suit offered some protection, but with no Ladybug by his side, and the monster made specifically for him, he knew there were few possibilities of him winning this fight.

The people around the location fled in terror, which was one less concern for the hero. Whatever damage this battle caused, it was not going to be fixed easily. He had to leave, he decided.

He coughed as he stood up, but the golem was not wasting any time. The monster did a backhanded slap as soon as the hero was on his feet, sending him away again. This time he landed in the water, though, so he had a bit more of a window to recuperate and plan something. He got a flashback of his fight against Refleckdoll, but was not sure if this creature going berserk after using his power on it would be any better. Maybe it would let him retreat and get the other heroes if it lost control of itself. Better than nothing, he thought.

''Cataclysm!'' The cat screamed as he launched himself from the waters towards the golem.

The creature didn't even try to avoid him, taking his black fist in the face, which didn't produce a single crack. The sentimonster stood still for a moment, as if making sure Chat knew his plan didn't work, then took his arm.

The boy only had time enough to whisper ´´oh oh´´ before the creature smashed him against the ground. Once he was down again, the monster let go of his probably broken arm and then proceeded to stomp his limp form with his giant foot. The whole battle would have killed a normal person, but Chat Noir was accustomed to resisting some damage. Problem was, this was the first time he felt a line was about to be crossed, and the suits protection would ooon mean nothing.

The monster lifted its foot again, preparing to smash him once more. The hero took that moment to make a choice. He could take Destructions form to get out of this, but Marinette's words resonated in his mind over and over. He decided he would not disappoint his lady, not for this.

He breathed in, then whispered ''Cataclysm'' And instead of using it against the fast approaching foot, he used it on the floor beneath him. Stone crumbled and he landed on one of the tunnels that comprised Paris's catacombs.

He had to move fast before the beast broke more of the city trying to find him. He really hoped Lila's curse would make her dissipate the creature soon, otherwise he would have to go back before having the chance to heal, to fight him again.

To his relief, as he limped away from the location, the pounding of the golem against the stone stopped.

Lila coughed. This was getting worse, she thought. Everytime she made a sentimonster now, she would feel like crap right after. At least she taught Chat Noir a lesson. But the joy that thought instilled in her lasted little, as she panicked with the realization that they now knew where she lived. How could she ever go back to sleep if they started coming for her box now?

''You need some minions, my child'' Suggested the voice. Lila wanted to be mad at the mocking tone of the female ghost that haunted her, but she had to admit she was useful. She warned her of the cat spying on her just now, and had only been giving her advice since she started paying attention to her words.

''I don't have anyone I can trust with a miraculous'' She said after her coughing fit stopped.

''Find someone, you will need them anyways to get the jewels you need for the wish'' She was right, of course. Lila knew she was in a predicament.

She didn't have as much time as Hawkmoth had when he tried to get the same thing as her, and he didn't even succeed after all his effort. He also had Mayura with him. Lila wasn't stupid, she was perfectly aware of the power difference between just her and the so called heroes of Paris.

''Alright'' She said, gathering her strength to go out again.

Chloe hummed softly in her room as she spread her favorite perfume around. She always did this, but she would be lying to herself if she didn't have new reasons recently to have her living space as presentable as possible. She had been getting a lot of surprise visits, after all.

And speaking of which.

''Chloe Bourgeois'' Said a feminine voice from her blonde tried to hide the disappointment she felt as she turned around and confirmed that this was not her usual guest. And it was not Ladybug either.

''Who are you supposed to be?'' She asked, scrunching her nose. The girl in front of her was no superhero for sure. She had blue skin and a nasty smile. The dress was cute, though.

''I'm Pavona, and I come here with a proposition for you'' Said the blue girl. Chloe was not impressed.

''Uh huh'' She merely responded, making her disinterest clear. Pavona smiled even more, then moved her fan away and revealed a tiny box she held on her other hand. Ok, Chloe was a bit interested now.

Pollen came out of the box as soon as Pavona opened it, and greeted Chloe as she always did. The blond girl felt tears welling up as she cheek-hugged the Kwami instead of pretending she was not impressed with her presence. She missed her so much!

But then she realized that if she had Pollen, that meant this was Lila Rossi. Even if she couldn't recognize her at first, Luka had told her that the liar had stolen the miracle box and all the trouble she was creating for them. Chloe frowned as she realized this was probably not a free gift.

''Oh don't look at me like that, Queen Bee'' She said, mockery on her voice as she mentioned her hero name ''I don't want your soul or even for you to like me. We both know we will never like each other'' Well, she was right on that one.

''What do you want?'' Asked Chloe, feeling defensive of the bee that floated next to her face. She still didn't have the comb with her, as Pavona held it in the box. The blue girl closed it, and the kwami disappeared once more.

''I've found some pests in my house recently, I just need someone to come whenever I need a bug… or a cat, smashed'' She smirked. Chloe snorted. If that girl seriously thought she would betray her Adrikins AND Ladybug for her, she was crazy. And that is not even mentioning Luka and the fact that he, the new guardian, trusted her.

''Get out'' The blond snarled, pointing at the window. Pavona looked as if she didn't expect that response at all.

''Don't you want your deal Pollen? Why are you so loyal to Ladybug, when she never ever gave it back to you?'' The blue girl rambled, trying to convince her. It was not going to happen.

''Out!'' She screamed, and it even looked like Pavona was intimidated as she left.

Chloe hmphed when she was alone again. She waited years already for her Kwami, she could wait a bit more to earn her back the right way.

Marinette had spent that whole saturday drawing furiously, non stop, not even to eat with her parents. Which is why her room was a mess right now, papers and fabric scattered around. Tikki was sleeping on her usual spot, having just enjoyed her dinner cookie.

She literally jumped when a loud thud above broke her concentration. It must be her kitty, she thought, then she frowned. Didn't he say he was going to walk here as Adrien? Wait.. That was some time ago, wasn't it? Crap.

She had lost the track of the hours, like she always did when she got in the zone, that evening. She completely forgot that Adrien was supposed to come visit her to tell her what he thought on her designs for the gala.

The girl hurried to open the roof door, then peeked outside. Instead of making one of his ridiculous but kinda hot poses on her balcony and greeting her, Chat Noir was a black mass huddled on the floor. Worry filled her immediately, and she started calling his name as she climbed out.

''Chat? Chat!'' She said as she shook his shoulders. He moved, groaning, just enough for her to see his bloodied face.

''H-hey, Bugaboo'' He greeted, smiling as if his teeth being the color of wine wasn't a problem.


	22. Risky exchanges

Adrien's transformation dropped while Marinette was carrying him down to her room.

''He lost consciousness'' Said a very tired Plagg, who Tikki helped maintain afloat. The red kwami woke up seconds ago after hearing her chosen's call.

Marinette was quiet as she put the blond boy on her bed, not caring that he would stain it red as soon as his body touched the mattresses. Tikki left Plagg on the pillow she used as bed, then floated above the two heroes to get a better view. The little red bug gasped as she saw the damage the boy had suffered. Even fully clothed, both wielder and kwami could see he had been brutally beaten, cuts and purple bruises covering all visible skin. But the worst was his arm, twisted in a weird angle and completely purple close to his wrist. That boy needed a hospital.

Or a miracle.

Tikki knew what Marinette had to do, but wasn't sure the girl, who was just staring at her boyfriend, was ready yet. But then relief washed over the kwami as she saw the heroine finally move and carefully touch Adrien's hand. A pink light erupted from the contact.

''Please wake up'' His favorite voice in the world whispered. It sounded like she was close, but at the same time he had a hard time hearing it. Was it because he suffered too much damage in the head, or because she was uttering the words very quietly? Adrien opened his eyes, and confirmed that the love of his life was close indeed. Her head was resting near to his shoulder, eyes shut as she pleaded for him to wake up.

''Bug…'' He said, noticing the pain was not as bad as he thought it should be when he de-transformed. He de-transformed, right?. The boy made the effort of lifting his head to see what he was wearing, and his heart rate spiked at the sight. Well, he was not on his suit, he thought, but his shirt was no longer white. And neither were Marinette's sheets. How the heck was he still alive? And not dying anymore?

''Mari?'' He tried again as the girl didn't seem to notice he was conscious now. He breathed in and felt a pang on his ribs, but nothing too terrible, then tried to get up. He was halfway there when Tikki appeared in front of his face.

''Adrien stop! You are still hurt, Marinette healed the most dangerous of your wounds but please don't move or you will undo all her work'' Said the kwami, two tiny hands in front of her gesturing for him to stop lifting himself up. He obeyed and flinched as his back touched the bed again. He probably had a dozen bruises in there.

''How- What did she do?'' He asked weakly, worry and guilt building up in his heart. Marinette stopped whispering but he could tell she was not asleep yet because she held his hand, but she was not moving either, her head resting on the corner of the bed, as if all energy was drained from her tiny frame.

''She used her powers to save you, but it takes a toll. I had to make her stop or she would be passed out until next monday if she kept trying to heal you'' Adrien couldn't help but feel like he was being scolded by the red kwami, not just because of the implications of what she said but because her tone betrayed whatever patience she was trying to summon.

''I messed up, didn't I'' He said, more as a statement than a question. Tikki sighed.

''You got something out of it, at least?'' Asked the red kwami. Plagg took that moment to make his wakefulness known to the boy.

''Stop bullying my kitten, sugarcube'' He said. The tiny cat was not on Adrien's immediate sight, but Plagg sounded healthy enough. Relief washed over the model, then he nodded looking at Tikki.

''I know where Lila lives'' He whispered, then let out a soft moan. Some stuff was still broken inside of him, and he was not eager to find out exactly what.

''Try to sleep kid!'' Said Plagg from the other side of the room, trying to sound nonchalant but it was obvious the kwami was worried too.

Adrien looked at Marinette one more time and confirmed that she wasn't awake anymore, her hand relaxed and her breathing calm beside him. He joined her soon enough, not able to keep his eyelids open any longer, even if he tried to.

Luka parked his bicycle at the hotel's entrance, took his helmet off and, after filling his lungs to max capacity one more time, he went in.

The receptionist looked at him from head to toe, and the boy knew the judgement the man came to was not good because he adopted an attitude that said ´´You are not even there to me´´

''I came to visit my friend, Chloe Bourgeois'' He announced after clearing his throat. The man acted as if he didn't see him before lazily checking something in his computer.

''Name?'' The man asked, and Luka frowned. Did he really ask that AFTER checking the list? Jesus these people were truly awful. He stopped that train of thought quickly, though. ´´These people´´ Included Chloe, who was a snob yes, but also his friend now.

''I'm probably not in there, but you can call her and tell her that Luka Couffaine came to visit?'' He tried, invoking his patience. He would go up there one way or another. He preferred to go as Luka this time though, it would be weird for him to go with Chloe to that gala out of nowhere. He wanted at least to have her receptionist know that he existed.

Said man lifted an eyebrow but then shrugged and slowly started dialing a call to Chloe's room.

''Miss Bourgeois, sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but there is a boy here that- Yes- Ok'' The man, still unimpressed, ended the call then said ''The elevator to your left''.

Luka smiled kindly to the man, thanked him for his helpfulness, then walked towards the hallway he assumed was the one with the elevators.

He didn't have any time to wonder which door was Chloe's because as soon as he arrived at the correct floor, he saw her waiting on the hallway. She gestured for him to join her, looking very serious.

''Why did you come as yourself?'' She asked once she closed the door. Any other person would probably get offended by that question, but Luka didn't detect any malice in her tone, just blunt curiosity. He shrugged.

''It would be weird for me to go to the gala with you if we have no prior contact'' He said, and the girl just nodded.

''Hey, so-'' He started saying, but then got interrupted by the blonde.

''Lila came to me yesterday'' She blurted, shushing him up.

''Okaay… What for?'' He asked her, but Chloe was already halfway across the giant room (Rooms?) sitting on her couch. He followed her.

''She offered to give me Pollen if I joined her'' Luka worried for a second after hearing that, but knew that if she was telling him this it's because she didn't even think of betraying them. He decided to stay silent, which she understood was his way of saying ´´And?´´.

''And I said no, but it was so hard! She was right here and then I had to see her go back to that box. That girl is stupid if she thinks I'd join her at this point, no way!'' She ranted, and Luka started laughing.

''What?!''

''You are such a moron'' He said and Chloe stopped talking, looking furiously red.

''Fuck you! What's so funny?!'' She exclaimed after a bit, and Luka had to stop himself from laughing anymore or she would get mad for real with him. Chloe cursed, he noted to himself.

''Why didn't you just take Pollen? you could have pretended to work for her and take the box from under her nose'' He clarified for her and she lifted both hands to cover her mouth. She really was a moron. An endearingly cute moron.

Chloe got over her embarrassment quickly and shook her head. ''Would you and the rest have trusted me to do that?'' She asked and Luka seriously considered her question. Just now he had a moment where he doubted her for a second, thinking she might have joined forces with Lila against all logic. And he liked Chloe, what would have Nino or the others thought about it?. Maybe she had a point. Still, she could have taken her beloved kwami at least.

''But you wanted to be Queen Bee so bad'' He commented sincerely, then he almost regretted his words and his previous mocking because her blue eyes started tearing up a little.

''Hey, no, It's ok, you'll get her back'' He tried to comfort her, but her moment of weakness lasted no more than the time it took him to try to approach her, her frown back on her face.

''I want to earn her back the right way, I WON'T be manipulated, I'M the one that does that, not that bitch. I will decide when, how and why Queen Bee returns!'' She said with so much energy, Luka found himself nodding in agreement even though he still thought her logic was kind of off. But then he remembered that the bee miraculous was the essence of subjugation. Control. He realized that, in Chloe's weird mind, accepting Pollen then and there meant giving control over to Lila.

Luka smiled.

''Still a moron'' He said, knowing that she was not really mad anymore. She just crossed her arms, acting as if his comment bothered her when in reality they both knew she did not regret her choices.

''What did you come here for, anyways, snake boy?'' She changed the topic. Funny how he seemed to forget more and more what he came for whenever he visited Chloe. Now she was reminding him of his duty.

''There will be a team meeting today at Adrien's house later. We will discuss our final plan to finally take Lila down'' He said.

''What does that have to do with me?'' She asked cautiously, not wanting to be disappointed by the answer but at the same time obviously hopeful. He smirked at her.

''I want you to come, too'' He answered nonchalantly, and Chloe looked like she wanted to celebrate but controlled herself.

''When?'' She acted like she didn't care, even stared at her nails to avoid looking at him, but the glint on her eye didn't lie. She wanted to play? He could play. Luka started walking towards the door, enjoying the little bit of disappointment on her demeanor as she pretended to not notice him leaving.

''In a couple hours. I'll come fetch you'' He winked at her before closing the door, borrowing one of Chat Noir's techniques. He chuckled a bit as he called the elevator, feeling a bit self conscious and wondering if he had been too over the top.

Then he heard the most sincere laugh coming from her room. Even muffled as it was, it was a good sound. Like a melody.

Lila laid on her bed, having already decided she would not get up that morning. After transforming into Pavona twice yesterday, she was exhausted. Not just because of the curse, but because that golem she made turned out to be really hard to keep in control, specially after the cat cataclysmed it.

She was proud of her creation, however. The sentimonster resisted perfectly, as it was its purpose, not going berserk after being hit with destructions power. Not to mention that beating it gave the cat was cathartic for her. She never considered her own fears to be something useful, but even the voice congratulated her on her creation, saying it was probably the strongest ever made by a Peacock miraculous wielder. Lila knew lies and fake compliments like the back of her hand, so she wasn't buying it completely, not from that sarcastic ghost. Yet, she was proud.

She was also proud about the maneuver she did after completely failing at luring Chloe to her side. She had been extremely lucky to find those guys when she needed allies the most.

After leaving the blonde's hotel, Pavona was feeling defeated and miserable as she jumped towards her home. Her energy was getting drained fast, and she knew she would have to walk the last few blocks as Lila, so before her transformation dropped and left her stranded on a rooftop, she jumped down to an alley. It was dark enough no one would notice her, probably.

She was wrong. Two men were following her as she briskly walked the deserted streets. She noticed they were trying to intimidate her before engaging, and the Italian was not up for any more games, so she stopped and faced the men. They were dressed like officers of some sort, though they were for sure not police. Not with that nasty scar.

''What do you want?'' Pavona demanded, arms crossed. The one with the scar got closer to her, leaving his angry looking partner behind him.

''I'm Agent A.'' He presented himself, then the girl had to listen to his whole speech of being part of an organization in charge of regulating and keeping checks on supernatural beings or something like that. When Pavona yawned to show her disinterest, the angry looking one proceeded to threaten her with taking away her miraculous. Oh, so they knew what those were, she thought, suddenly a bit more invested in the conversation.

''Let me get this clear, you two will take away my powers if I prove myself to be dangerous to civilians, right?'' She said, and Agent T. got interrupted by the other man´s hand gesture before he could keep threatening her. Agent A. nodded. ''And my golem was my first strike?'' She asked, skeptical.

''That we know of'' Said Agent A. in a tone that indicated he did not trust Pavona to be as innocent as she wanted to appear.

''I had to make him to defend myself, Chat Noir attacked me out of nowhere'' She lied, proud of remembering not to point out that this was not the first time she got targeted by the cat. Who knew what these men could do if they knew who she was, she shuddered. But then again… She could use them. Brilliance came to her.

''That's why we are warning you, first… Miss…'' He left the question open, and Pavona smiled before dropping her transformation. She enjoyed the surprise on both agents very much.

''Lila Rossi, you might recognize me from the news'' She said, and after a second of thinking Agent A. nodded in understanding. She did her best to put her most worried expression on her face.

''I don't know about you, but he stopped being a hero the moment he decided that killing me was allowed. I only survived that attack because Ladybug stopped him. That cat is really out of control'' She said, and the angry agent muttered something akin to ´´I knew it!´´ before scar face made him shut up again.

''He is tasked with retrieving an item we believe you possess, miss Rossi'' Said Agent A. still calm.

''Oh but the attack happened before I got my hands on the miracle box'' Again, both men gasped a bit after hearing her confess so much. First rule of lying: Tell the truth enough to be believable. Then twist it to your convenience.

''So here is the deal, gentlemen. I have nothing against your organization's objectives, in fact I agree with your cause. I just need a little help with my cat infestation before I can give you this miraculous '' She said, touching the peacock brooch on her chest ''And the whole box. I have no interest in keeping them for myself, I just needed those powers to protect my integrity from that crazy cat'' She waited for a bit to continue, and when both agents nodded after exchanging looks, she did. ''I will need some protection on my home for some time, since as you noticed today, the cat knows where I live once again. I can give you miraculous to do it, of course'' These two really needed to lie better, she thought. Lila could tell how happy they were after hearing that, when in fact they should be wondering what her game was.

''How would you know we won't just take the jewels and leave?'' Asked Agent T. sounding not-angry for the first time in their conversation.

''Because I have more to give you, the box and the rest of the miraculous, for once. And I know the identities of all of Paris´s wielders. Including Hawkmoth'' She procured her most innocent smile.

''And how do we know you aren't lying about any of those things?'' Asked Agent A. , still skeptical but smiling too.

''I already gave you my own identity for free, didn't I? My good will surely must have been noticed and appreciated by now. And I can give you two miraculouses tonight'' She replied.

Agent T. looked ecstatic, but Agent A. hesitated a bit before shrugging and extending his hand to her.

''Deal''

Still in her bed, Lila smiled at last night's memory. It was a risk, giving away two miraculous to two perfect strangers that knew a bit too much about the jewels for her comfort, but she had them under her palm. Even if they robbed her house and took the box, she still knew valuable information. She wouldn't tell them the heroes identities of course, at least not yet.

Lila was going to give them crumbs and making them work for her until she got her dignity, her wish and her revenge.

And she knew exactly when she would make it all happen. Good thing she already had a mask.


	23. Breakfast at 4PM

Marinette woke up feeling sore and with something pulling softly at her cheek. She muttered for five more minutes and tucked her head on her arms, hiding her face from whatever wanted to wake her up.

''Ah!'' She opened her eyes to the pain of her hair being pulled.

''Sorry Marinette! But you need to wake up!'' Said Tikki, letting go of the three strands of hair she picked to make her suffer on a sunday morning. Why was she bothering her so early? And why was she not in her…bed.

She looked at the boy sleeping in front of him in awe, remembering last night's events just barely. She felt a mix of pride for her finally figuring out her new powers and worry for her boyfriend, who was still not healed completely. Not even close.

''Marinette, you have a meeting in an hour!'' Stressed Tikki, blocking her view. The reunion! The plan! She thought. In an hour? But that was supposed to happen at 4PM, how long did they sleep?!

''Adrien'' She whispered, shaking his shoulder softly so she didn't provoke any unnecessary pain. The boy flinched a bit, making her feel guilty, but he needed to wake up, she couldn't just leave him there. It was already a miracle her parents haven't bothered to check on her yet. She even missed lunch, the rumble on her stomach made that clear.

The model was so hard to wake up, he started mumbling incoherent things instead of opening his eyes. She didn't want to shake him too hard for fear of hurting him, but when he started murmuring in Chinese she decided enough was enough.

''Ouch!'' He jolted awake, much like she did just minutes ago. As soon as he opened his eyes and saw Marinette, whatever grumpiness over being woken up like that passed.

''Mari?'' He said in confusion, and she felt so relieved to see that he was ok. She remembers vaguely trying to wake him up last night after healing him a bit, but then she passed out from overusing her new powers.

''Hey sleepy cat'' She greeted him, smiling warmly. He returned the expression until he flinched again, then tried to grab his chest with his right arm and things just got worse from there. His arm was still broken, she realized with sadness.

''We have our team meeting in an hour kitty, it's 4PM'' She whispered as she got closer to him and hovered her hands above the broken arm he was too afraid to touch with his other one. She started casting that pink light again when he grabbed her wrist with his good hand and stopped her.

''No! You need to be there too, this will make you fall asleep again!'' He protested, rotating his whole torso away from her hands, pink shine on them vanishing as the contact was lost.

''But-'' She was about to counter his argument when Tikki interrupted her.

''He's right! Nevermind that meeting, using this power too much too soon is not safe Marinette!'' Warned the kwami, serious. The argument must have woken Plagg up, because the tiny cat hovered over to the couple and stood on Adriens shoulder, still sleepy.

''Good morning'' He said, completely unaware of his surroundings.

''It's 4PM'' Deadpanned the tiny bug, earning a chuckle from the heroes.

Marinette noticed how Adrien tried to hide how much it hurt to even laugh, but she bit her lip and promised herself she would try to heal him after the meeting. She needed to practice this new ability anyways, she thought looking at her hands.

''Alright, I'll go freshen up to the bathroom then um…'' She started saying after getting up, but then noticed how bloodied Adrien's clothes looked . He couldn't go out like this. The boy noticed her staring because he did the same as soon as he managed to sit up on the bed.

''Not my best look'' He joked with a half smile.

''Can you transform?'' She hopelessly asked, wincing at the mere thought.

''Absolutely not'' Said Plagg, still on his wielders shoulders. Adrien looked like he wanted to protest but then took a better look at the tiny cat and decided not to. If the kwami was not floating around demanding cheese, it could only mean he was not up for the task yet. He must have used so much energy trying to shield Chat Noir from the worst damage.

''And you can't transform either, Marinette'' Tikki said, ruining her only easy fix left. She groaned, facepalming in frustration. The four of them stared at each other in silence for a couple seconds, the moment interrupted when now both Marinette and Adrien's stomachs protested almost in sync. They both blushed and then chuckled a nervous laugh.

''This is so ridiculous'' Said the heroine, opening the lid on the floor of her room that lead downstairs.

''Where are you going?'' Asked the model, still not moving from the bed.

''Gonna bring some breakfast, I can't think when I'm hungry'' She responded as she closed the lid over her head.

Adrien would have liked to just wait patiently sitting on Marinette's bed, but he just couldn't. This was all his fault, his mess to fix, again. He let out a defeated sigh as he heard Marinette's steps reach the bottom of the stairs.

''Don't beat yourself too hard, kid'' Commented Plagg, still lounging lazily on his shoulder. ''You got enough of that with yesterday's excursion'' Of course he couldn't just be nice. Adrien rolled his eyes.

''That golem… Why didn't my cataclysm affect it, Plagg?'' He asked and the little cat shrugged.

''That girl was terrified of you, that monster was probably made taking your powers into account'' He said, not sounding very interested in the fact that what was effectively pure destruction didn't even make the sentimonster go berserk. He had a little moment of panic thinking he lost his abilities when he remembered he used it a second time that fight, when he destroyed the floor to escape.

''I used my powers twice, then I didn't detransform for the hour it took me to reach Marinette's balcony, how is that possible?''

''Why do you think I'm so tired now, huh?'' The kwami complained, and even though it was not really an answer, it kind of made sense to the model. Adults could keep their transformations up after using their powers, and he somehow managed to use his twice. The fact that it took a heavy toll on his kwami was probably due to him not being a real grown up yet, but he would get there. He cringed when his brain decided to call this process ´´miraculous puberty´´ . Why Adrien, just why, he scolded himself.

He was too busy into his own thoughts to notice that it wasn't just one pair of steps coming up the stairs to the room, but three. Not like he could have moved fast enough to hide anyways.

The lid opened and Marinette poked her head, red from shame.

''Umm'' She started saying, but then her father finished opening the entrance to her room and busted in.

''Adrien! breakfast?'' The huge man announced, not really expecting an answer as he set up a tray filled with delicious looking food on the floor, followed by Sabine brining a couple pillows so they could sit on them around the feast.

''Oh dear, you still look pretty battered up, is your arm okay?'' Asked the woman, approaching Adrien with a worried looking expression.

''I'm- um… Mari?'' He looked at the girl in question, who was nervously playing with her hands as she started at her parents. She noticed his distress and snapped out of her own a bit.

''They know'' She whispered, making sure he could read her lips as she pointed at the older couple. Adrien winced.

''Yeah yeah, we thought today would be a good time to finally Chat'' Said Tom, winking at Adrien as he said that last word. The model let out a nervous little laugh while Marinette reacted as she usually did when it came to puns, by facepalming.

''Can I have this one?'' Asked Plagg, no longer in his wielders shoulders nor hiding from the parents, but sitting comfortably on the tray and pointing at a wheel of cheese.

''Plagg!'' Three voices at the same time scolded the little cat, who just smirked. Marinette, Adrien and Tikki then looked at the parents to catch their reactions at seeing two little creatures that floated and spoke on their daughters room.

''All yours!'' Said Tom, letting out a barking laugh as he sat down on his pillow. Sabine was a bit more surprised at being on the presence of little gods, however. She had her hands covering her mouth as she looked between Plagg and Tikki.

The red kwami noticed and floated in front of the woman. ''Hello, my name is Tikki'' She presented herself politely. That calmed Sabine down, who smiled in awe at the creature.

''Nice to meet you, Tikki'' She said.

Marinette looked ready to disappear, and honestly Adrien wasn't feeling any better, but he decided to follow the course of the situation and started lifting himself up from the bed to grab some food. As soon as he tried that, he regretted it, however, as a sudden wave of pain crossed his whole body, specially his back, making him almost fall on the floor if it wasn't because his lady noticed in time and held him in place.

''You shouldn't move'' She said, all her embarrassment replaced by worry.

''I'm okay'' He whispered, and he noticed Marinette wasn't the only one that moved to help him. Tom was in the middle of standing up himself when the girl caught him, the burly man still watching his cautious steps as the girl helped him sit down on one of the pillows.

Soon after, the four humans and two mystical creatures sat around the feast in the middle of the room.

''This is awkward'' Stated Plagg as he looked at everyone's faces, munching on his cheese already.

''When… How did you find out?'' Asked Marinette looking at her parents, suddenly shy.

''About you being Ladybug? a couple months ago. About your boyfriend being Chat Noir? just this morning, when we came to wake you up with a surprise breakfast and found our daughter sleeping on the floor next to him, blood everywhere'' Said Tom very seriously. Adrien didn't think the man could be particularly scary, even after the whole Weredad incident, but now he was quite intimidated. He gulped and decided to just stare at the food.

''We thought about calling a hospital, but after checking your vitals were okay we made the hard choice of letting you sleep the whole day, instead'' Said Sabine, less stern than her husband but still in full adult mode. Marinette looked at her mother with gratefulness on her eyes.

''I'm still not sure it was the right call, but your mother insisted'' Said the baker, staring at Adrien's injuries.

''It was! I mean he is still pretty banged up, but the worst has passed and our identities must remain a secret!'' Said Marinette in her usual word vomit that she did when she was nervous.

When Adrien was nervous, however, his mouth got dry. So he was quiet while the family started talking about what you would expect when such a secret came out. The parents assured their daughter that they wouldn't have kept her secret if they didn't approve of her extra-curricular activities. Sabine explained how worried she was at the beginning each time there was an Akuma attack, but that they both got used to it in time. Then when the news of Hawkmoth being defeated were announced, they relaxed a lot more.

Marinette asked them if they ever planned on telling her that they knew, this time Tom answering. The older couple wanted to make it a special occasion and tell her, but then Adrien was suddenly her boyfriend and they got a little bit distracted, specially with the new couple being together almost all of their free time. And then, today's reveal.

''This that you two do… I didn't really see how dangerous it is until this morning'' Said Tom, joviality vanishing again. Adrien felt the man's gaze on his and he couldn't hold it, so he looked at the food again. They had been eating while Marinette's parents told their story, but the boy hadn't grabbed anything yet, too nervous and ashamed to move.

''But we have to'' Said Marinette, sounding so much like Ladybug that Adrien snapped his head up and looked at his girlfriend as she glared at her parents. ''No one else can do this but Adrien and I''

The older couple looked surprised at her words at first, but then they both smiled at their daughter.

''We know'' Said Sabine, reaching Marinette to hug her. It was in that moment that the girl locked gazes with Adrien, finally noticing how quiet he had been this whole time.

''Are you ok, Kitty?'' She asked tenderly. Adrien didn't really want the attention of the whole family right now, but it's what he got as soon as his lady mentioned his name.

''You haven't eaten a thing! Are you sure you don't want a hospital?'' Said the girls father, grabbing the model's empty plate and filling it with food.

Adrien shook his head, then couldn't contain a groan as the movement made his head swim.

''You should go back to bed, at least. We have a guest room downstairs where you can rest the remaining of the day'' Offered Sabine, but both heroes knew that was not an option.

''I'm ok… It's just '' The boy wasn't sure how to put his thoughts into words ''I started this whole mess… I antagonized Lila and attacked her in her house and then got beaten by her monster and ruined Marinette's bed and now we are going to be late to the meeting and…'' He couldn't continue his ramble because sobs interrupted him, then he couldn't hold his tears anymore and he hid his face with his hands.

''Oh Adrien…'' Murmured Marinette as she softly hugged him, giving him a shoulder to cry on. The pain was horrible, but the embrace felt like a panacea against everything. His bruises, his cuts, his broken arm, his guilt.

The moment was over when his lady let go of him, and he noticed as she smiled that she looked tired again. Oh.

''Did you see that?'' Asked Sabine looking at her husband. The man just nodded. They must be referring to the pink light that their daughter emitted when she used her powers to heal him again.

''Marinette! I told you not to overuse that power!'' Scolded Tikki, floating between them.

''I'm okay Tikki, he needs to be able to at least get up today'' She excused herself, cheeky grin on her face. Adrien finally let himself smile a little as he nodded.

''Speaking of'' Said the designer, as she grabbed her phone from her desk then quickly typed something.

''I just told the others we will be a bit late'' She explained.

Tom and Sabine started gathering the plates (Except for Adrien's, to his relief) and the pillows.

''We can talk about this more later, Adrien, if you need clothes I can bring something for you'' Said Tom before leaving the room. The boy nodded, grateful.

When they were on their own again, Marinette sighed.

''I'm sorry, I just went downstairs to grab food as I said I would but they were waiting for me with that bomb…'' She started explaining, but the blond boy stopped her by putting a finger on her mouth.

''Not your fault'' He whispered and enjoyed how red the girls face got at the sudden contact. As if she just didn't hug him minutes ago, then let him cry on her shoulder.

''Not yours either'' She said. The anger on the girls eyes took him by surprise. ''Lila is not going to get away with this''

Adrien wasn't sure he liked how vengeful Marinette sounded as she said that last part. Sure, that girl deserved some kind of punishment and he'd be happy to deliver it, but they were still heroes. His guilty feelings returned as he realized that he put the love of his life in this position.

The only thing left to do for him was making sure Marinette didn't do anything she would regret.


	24. Plotting and healing

Tom Dupain walked down the stairs, shoulders slumped down. Sabine was waiting for him with worried eyes, and once her husband was at hands reach for her she grabbed one of his big hands.

''How did it go?'' She asked in a whisper.

''That boy needs to eat a lot more pastries if he wants to fit into my clothes…''Said her husband in an attempt to lighten the mood. She forced a little chuckle to make him feel better, but the man's eyes started getting wet anyways.

''Oh darling'' She said, hugging him. She knew her husband was more sensible than he liked to let people know, so when the man went up to deliver clean clothes for Adrien to change into, she decided to wait for him instead of going back to the bakery.

She kindly guided Tom into their couch, where she made him sit and then went to boil water for tea.

''They are too young for this'' Commented her husband after clearing his throat. His voice was low and he kept looking at his hands as he talked. ''I just helped a 16 year old boy change because he was too bruised to move properly. This shouldn't be happening to them''

Sabine nodded as she kept preparing the beverages. There wasn't really anything she could say to make him (Or her) feel better about the situation they had to deal with that sunday. Her husband knew, but he kept venting about all the things they could do to help them anyways.

''We need to talk to Gabriel Agreste, too'' Suggested Sabine, adding one more thing to the list her husband was making. It mostly consisted on nutritious food, emergency kits and strategies to keep their identities safe.

''Do you think he knows?'' Asked the man, worry turned into curiosity. Sabine shrugged as she handed a cup of tea to her husband.

''We would have to ask the kids about that, but if he does we could plan ways to further help our children'' She said. Tom smiled at her.

''You're right''

Their conversation was halted as the married couple heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Marinette and Adrien came down, the girl brining the plate they left up there for Adrien to finish eating. It was empty, noted the woman feeling a bit of much needed relief.

''Going out?'' She asked, trying to keep her face from looking too worried as she noticed how both of them looked tired still. Adrien specially, he had to wear a makeshift cast on his arm and his face was plastered with colorful band aids. Then again, he looked a lot worse earlier in the day. She would have to trust them.

''Yup, we uhh have a meeting with the rest of our um, team'' Her daughter was still uncomfortable talking about her double life.

''Here, for everybody'' Said Tom, handing Marinette a box filled with pastries. The parents weren't really sure how many people would be eating them, so they prepared food for a small army, just in case.

''Thanks dad'' Smiled Marinette, then looked at Adrien, who was smiling too, signaling him that they were leaving.

The teenagers closed the door behind them and Sabine heard her husband sigh. It was hard seeing kids that young beaten up that badly, she thought. But logic told her that this was probably a fluke for them, since they never really saw their daughter (Or Ladybug, for that matter) hurt. That thought calmed her down and she made sure to share it with her husband.

Alya rang the bell on the Agreste mansion and her and Nino waited patiently for Nathalie's voice to answer. She still thought it was weird for them to know full well they would have no problems getting into the house, when before it was a real interrogant whenever they rang the bell.

''Come in'' Said the woman's voice and the doors opened for them.

They were a bit late, but Marinette asked for more time anyways, she had no right of getting mad at them after the designer told them the reunion would be two hours later than their previous agreement.

The couple silently entered the house after the bodyguard opened the main door for them, and they stood in the entrance for a good minute, lost. Where exactly was the reunion supposed to happen? Adrien's room? Wondered the reporter, looking up the stairs.

Nathalie popped besides them, serious as always, making Nino jump once he noticed the woman's sudden presence. Alya giggled a bit at her boyfriend's little scare.

''This way'' The woman merely said, guiding them upstairs. But instead of turning left towards the model's room, they entered what looked like a living room, with three couches surrounding a coffee table and a fireplace. Alya gasped as she noticed who was already waiting for them.

''Chloe?!'' She exclaimed, unable to contain her surprise at seeing the blonde sitting with Luka on one of the couches. No sign of Marinette or Adrien yet.

''Why am I not surprised you are here?'' She commented in her usual nasty tone.

''No fighting please, I'll explain once everyone is here'' Said Luka. It was in that moment that the reporter noticed how comfortable they both looked sitting next to each other. She smirked, but decided to say nothing.

The snake wielder must have read her thoughts, because he blushed a little. Nino huffed by his side and, not commenting anything either, went to sit in front of the other two. She joined him soon after.

''Is it safe to go out?'' Alya heard Trixx whisper from her backpack, the girl stared at Chloe for a moment before shrugging and nodding to her kwami. The little fox celebrated as he always did when he was allowed out of his hiding place. The other ones took that as a cue to come out apparently, because then Sass and Wayzz joined Trixx in the middle table, where they held their own little reunion and greeted each other.

The four of them waited awkwardly, watching the tiny creatures converse happily. Alya pulled out her phone and was about to text her best friend when the door opened once more, revealing a very tired Marinette and an even worse looking Adrien.

''DUDE! What the hell happened to you?'' Nino was the first one to comment on the state the model was. Alya cringed as she noticed the cuts covered in bandaids of all the colors in his face and the casted arm. He was also wearing a long sleeved shirt that looked almost like a dress on him, covering who knew how many more injuries.

''Sorry for being late, we had a little problem, as you can see'' Said Marinette then she noticed the newcomer. ''Chloe?'' She questioned, not sounding nearly as hostile as Nino did but not pleased either. Luka sighed.

''Seems like there are quite a few explanations in order before we can start planning for the masquerade…'' He commented. Chloe at his side rolled her eyes.

''It's easy, I'm here because I'm Queen Bee, or at least I would be if that bitch didn't steal the miracle box, and because I know all your little secrets'' She said. Luka facepalmed, but Alya saw that he was smiling.

''And because you can be helpful'' He added.

''Yeah, that too'' She said, crossing her arms defensively. Alya chuckled, now that was an interesting twist. She didn't trust Chloe yet, but if Luka did then there must be a reason, so she decided to let it go.

Marinette was quiet, and Alya realized the girl was probably still feeling a bit guilty at not speaking to the blonde before Luka did. Silly girl, Alya thought, she already told her she owed nothing to Chloe!

Adrien and Marinette relaxed a bit and then went to sit down on the third couch. The reported noticed how the boy flinched as he sat down. Seriously, what happened to him?

Alya was expecting Chloe to scream at seeing Adrien hurt any moment now, but the girl remained quiet, staring at him with her mouth slightly open. Luka put a hand on her shoulder and he did the questioning instead.

''So, I assume Lila did that to you?'' He started, and both Marinette and Adrien nodded. Adrien started explaining the encounter as Marinette opened a box she brought and arranged pastries in the coffee table. The kwamis were very pleased.

''I ran into her yesterday on the streets, then decided to follow her'' Said the model, and then proceeded to explain the rest. When he started skipping details of the fight he had with the sentimonster, Alya felt something heavy on her stomach. He must have lost really badly for him to change the pace of his story and then skipping straight to him waking up at 4PM in Marinette's bed the next day.

''Hold on, why did you go to her house and not to a hospital or to your own home for instance?'' Asked Chloe. Alya found herself joining in the curious wait for the answer.

''I don't know…I wasn't entirely myself when I escaped the fight…'' Again, the boy was trying to avoid admitting how hurt he was.

''I guided him there'' Said Plagg from the middle of the room, where he had joined the other kwamis. The tiny cat looked less energetic than he usually did, Alya noticed.

''And Marinette healed him'' Added Tikki, pride in her voice. Adrien cringed, his attempts at not hinting how badly he was after his fight ruined by the kwami.

Everything got a little chaotic from there. Luka started asking more details on the sentimonster Pavona made while Nino was cursing her. Chloe was uncharacteristically quiet, looking at Adrien with worried eyes while the boy tried to minimize the situation. Marinette then took over and started explained her new powers and the fact that her parents knew their secrets too. Alya joined in to voice her concern for the girl, who was also minimizing the apparent toll using her new abilities had on her.

''That bitch has crossed way too many lines!, who cares if she reveals our identities to the world, she needs to pay!'' Exclaimed Nino, angrier than she had ever seen her boyfriend being. She tried to calm him down by putting a hand on his lap but he ignored it to glare at Marinette, who was shaking her head.

''We will follow the plan, nothing has changed'' She said, and Alya had to agree with her. That was the point of this meeting anyways.

''Alright people, less arguing more working'' Said Luka, clapping his hands once, surprising everyone. ''Let's all share what we have, first'' He said, staring at Alya directly, asking with his eyes for her to start.

''We found a bit of information on those agents Marinette described'' She started saying. Chloe looked utterly confused, which the reporter ignored. ''They are both ghosts'' She said.

''Ghosts?'' Asked Adrien, and Alya nodded. Nino was still a bit riled up, so she continued instead of letting him do it.

''They are dead in every record I found about them. If they work for any government, then it's a super secret division the public doesn't know about. And if they are something else entirely, all the same. This screams danger, guys'' She explained. The others all showed different levels of worry in their faces, except for Chloe, who still didn't know what they were talking about but remained uncharacteristically quiet, glancing at Luka for answers instead. The older boy took the hint and whispered some explanations to the blondes ears.

''We can deal with them later, Lila is our top priority right now'' Said Marinette after a while.

Most of them nodded and continued on to the next topic. Chloe had the decency to not pretend she had a vote yet. They still had to decide whether she would be a permanent part of the team or not.

''What about your homework, snake boy?'' Asked Alya eyeing the guitarist.

''I've been translating as much as I can from the grimoire. It's a slow process, but I'll get faster and faster as I learn the language… For now, all I have found is information that we already know of about the miraculous of destruction and creation'' Said the older boy, nodding to Marinette and Adrien. ''I discovered something interesting about the luck factor, though'' He mentioned, and Alya could already feel Nino sweating by her side. Oh well, she thought, this conversation had to happen sooner or late.

''What about it?'' Asked Adrien a bit more alert than he had been this whole time. Nino shook his head a bit while he looked at Luka, pleading for him to not tell them that, but the guitarist didn't see him.

''Well, as you already know, Marinette's luck and Adriens bad luck are not exactly natural'' Explained Luka, and they all nodded except Chloe and Nino, who just looked defeated ''The story I found said that the closer the wielders are to balance with each other, whatever that means, the more normal their luck gets. So, Marinette was right in giving me the guardian position, for example, because now that she is closer to Adrien her luck is that of a normal person. Same for you, Adrien'' He said, probably noticing too the frown on the blond boy.

''How come he got so badly beaten up, then?'' Asked Nino before Adrien could start that martyr speech he probably wanted to give now that he knew he took away Marinette's good luck. Alya rolled her eyes.

''Luck doesn't affect free will'' Said Luka, shaking his head. ''And it's really hard to measure anyways. It's not that big of a deal now that you two are together, but the story also said that the opposite effect can happen if balance is broken, again, whatever that means'' He said, shrugging as if the topic was not that important. It was obvious he was trying to minimize it for the duo, because they were looking at each other in worry already.

''Let me get this straight, if these two lovebirds break up, Adrikins will have bad luck and Dupain-Cheng will win the lottery or something?'' Interjected Chloe. Alya chuckled, the image of Marinette becoming rich but eating ice-cream and bawling over Adrien at the same time stuck on her head. It was cruel but still kind of funny. Those two would never break up, though, the reporter was sure of that.

Luka grinned. ''It's not that simple, not all Ladybugs and Chat Noirs have been romantically involved. The book said something about ´´distance´´, but who knows what it really means with that. I don't think it's just physical distance, it's not a very straightforward book'' He said.

''Well, that is not a problem, and it will never be'' Said the designer, grabbing her boyfriends free hand. Adrien smiled at her warmly despite whatever was on his head. Alya nodded in satisfaction, yep, that was the least of their concerns right now.

''The most interesting thing about that discovery is the fact that Marinette seems to be one extremely lucky Ladybug. I really admire Master Fu for his choice, I've been thinking about it and I realized that almost everyone in your class is suited for a miraculous'' Said Luka, and Alya couldn't help but think about Adrien and what the older boy left unsaid. If Marinette's luck power was so strong, and she and Adrien were a perfect match for each other… That only meant that the boy was terribly unlucky. She shuddered, remembering the scene she witnessed below this same mansion just two weeks ago, when Adrien had to confront his father while dealing with the fate of his mother.

''Wait, does that include me?'' Asked Chloe innocently, taking Alya out of her thoughts. ''She didn't give me Pollen, I found the miraculous after she lost it'' Luka was nodding and smiling at her almost in the same way Adrien smiled at Marinette just moments ago.

''Even you. You are just more proof of Marinette's luck, the fact that it was you who found the Bee miraculous and no one else'' Chloe was smiling brightly now ''Subjugation suits you like a glove''

Alya leaned on Nino and whispered to his ear ''I ship it'' and Nino barked a laugh, his pouting and bad mood a thing of the past, since Adrien didn't seem to take the new information as bad as the DJ thought he would.

''Well, we also know where Lila lives, again… Time to plan'' Said Marinette, back to business.

They talked for almost two hours, at some point Adrien's kitchen staff knocked on the door and the Kwamis had to hide while the personnel brought more food to the room. After refining the details of Marinette's plan for the gala, Alya was feeling a lot more hopeful than she was when the meeting started, with all those bad news. This had to work. It was Ladybug's plan after all.

They also agreed to meet as soon as Adrien was feeling better for a little incursion to Lila's new home, now that they also knew her address. Adrien's efforts would not be wasted, they would go full force and take the box back. Even Chloe wanted to go, miraculous or not, she wanted to help.

They started getting up and ready to leave the mansion when the night was at its darkest. One person didn't move, though. Adrien was snoring softly on his seat, who knew for how long.

''Is he gonna be ok?'' Asked Chloe, showing sincere concern for her childhood friend. She was kind of warming up to Alya, if she was being honest. Marinette put a hand on the blonds forehead to check his temperature.

''He has a little fever, but I'll handle it'' She said, and Tikki shoot her wielder a warning look.

Marinette sighed. ''I'll be healing him in small chunks, besides it's time to sleep anyways'' She assured. Whatever consequences there were for using her new ability, Alya was sure Marinette didn't care about them as much as she did for Adrien. She was going to heal her partner and no one was going to stop her.

''Just don't over do it, girl. We need you to fight Lila, too'' Said Alya before exiting the room with everyone else, leaving the superhero duo alone.

Nathalie entered the meeting room after she saw that everyone found their ways to the exit. Gabriel was behind her as she approached the young couple.

Marinette was sitting next to Adrien, holding his and as he slept. A pink light surrounded where their skins made contact, she noticed.

''Miss Dupain-Cheng, we have a guest room ready for you if you-'' Started saying Gabriel behind her, but stopped as he saw the little scene.

The girl kept ignoring them for a couple more minutes, then frowned and let go of Adrien's hand. She wiped sweat from then forehead then glanced at her kwami. The little red god didn't bother to hide when the two adults entered the room, remaining at Plagg's side.

''Don't do it again until tomorrow, ok?'' Said Tikki and her charge nodded, staring at her boyfriend once again.

Gabriel approached the young couple after a little hesitation.

''We will get Adrien to his room, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You can go with Nathalie, she will show you yours'' He said as soft as he could manage, though Nathalie doubted anything would wake Adrien up right now.

The girl looked at him, eyes starting to close on their own, then nodded and stood up. She glanced back at Adrien one more time before following Nathalie.

''You can heal him'' Said the woman as she guided Marinette to the guests room.

The girl looked at her as if she thought she was mute. Nathalie smiled.

''Y-yeah… I discovered that when I needed it the most…'' Said the young designer after pondering if she should respond to Nathalie or not.

They reached their destination and the secretary opened the door for the girl. Before closing it and leaving her alone, she watched as Marinette just went straight to the beed, not even bothering to check the pajamas they left for her.

''Thank you, Marinette'' Said Nathalie before the girl closed her eyes.


	25. Of losing and winning

''Alright team, let's get to work'' Said Ladybug before leaping to the next building towards Lila's new address. The other heroes followed her, Viperion carrying Chloe, who brought a camera and pepper spray just in case, but promised she would not do something too stupid as she did not have powers. The heroine knew it was pointless trying to convince her of not participating when she couldn't fight, so she gave up under the conditions that she would stay out of it and just record.

Chat Noir kept up with her pace, not showing at all that he had been so terribly hurt just two days ago. Marinette ended up staying that whole time with him until only the most superficial cuts and bruises remained.

''That way'' He pointed the right direction for them to follow. Ladybug was feeling good, they were finally progressing, taking matters in their own hands. Even seeing parts of the fight Chat Noir and Pavona's sentimonster had on the news earlier that day (Kindly recorded by some bystanders cellphone) was not souring her mood.

But if she was being honest, her ego was what was the most content right now. After Tikki reminded her over and over to not heal Adrien too much too quickly or she would be extremely exhausted and not being able to participate in this, when the girl proved the kwami wrong she was so proud of herself. After her little loss of confidence for not having any new development on her abilities compared to her partner, this was exactly what she needed. The only thing she didn't like was the little fact that it had to be Adrien who had been hurt for her to make the discovery of her new powers.

At one point Chat Noir signaled the rest to stop and stand still. They all did their best to be as sneaky as possible, but no one could match the cat on that. Ladybug noticed he was especially cautious, which made sense considering what he told her about the fight. Lila had somehow detected his presence and they still didn't know how she did that.

The black clad hero did a tiny gesture with his hands and Viperion let go of Chloe, who took the camera Alya lended her and positioned herself to get a good view of the street, where they planned to bait Pavona to fight at. The snake hero used his powers, and Ladybug was ready to launch the mission..

''Stop'' Said viperion, before any of the heroes moved. They all looked confused for a second, but Ladybug caught on what was happening, frown on her face.

''Did we lose?'' She asked looking at the snake, and he nodded sadly, then the others understood too, except maybe Chloe, who just watched everyone waiting for an explanation.

''Too many times'' He said, sounding exhausted though nothing had happened yet. At least not for her, she reminded herself. ''Let's go back and I'll explain'' Said Viperion sounding completely defeated, a bit unlike himself, before he grabbed Chloe and leaped back to the mansion.

Once they detransformed in the safety of what was rapidly becoming their headquarters (That private living room where they held their meeting two days ago), the heroes could not contain their curiosity and worry.

''Dude what happened?'' Asked Nino as his girlfriend asked the same thing at the same time, but with different phrasing.

''Why didn't we go?'' Asked Chloe, still confused. Adrien and Marinette just quietly stared at the new guardian, who slumped on one of the couches and pinched the bridge of his nose.

''We did go, Chloe'' The guitarist started explaining, eyes closed and still holding his nose with his fingers. That must be one killer headache he had. ''We went around fifteen thousand times, in fact'' As he said that, all of them gaped in surprise.

''And we didn't win in any of them? how is that possible, it's just one enemy and her sentimonster'' Asked Marinette, concerned. That golem couldn't possibly that powerful to defeat all of them with all the time in the world, would it?

''We could have… on some of them, but the price was too high'' He said darkly, and there was a long, tense silence after. Marinette wasn't sure if she wanted to know the details, but they still needed to know why was fighting five versus two so impossible for them. She voiced that as her next question, interrupting the quietness of the room. Luka then finally opened his eyes, seemingly getting over the after effect of using his power so many times enough to go back to business.

''She recruited two people, adults, to use the Dragon and Butterfly miraculous'' He said, looking pretty tired of delivering bad news. Marinette knew she was tired of hearing them.

''Why would anyone work for her?'' Asked Nino showing all his disgust at whoever was that decided to join forces with that little tyrant.

''I don't know their motives, but since they were grown ups, they could use their powers more than once without detransforming. And that golem… Adrien I don't know how you survived fighting that thing on your own. Since when are sentimonsters so powerful?'' Luka was showing now all the despair the rest of them were probably feeling. The designer did not like that one bit, he was usually so calm and positive.

''I think it's my fault that Lila managed to make such a monster… She's terrified of me because of what I almost did to her two weeks ago… '' Said the blond boy, guilt coming back to his face in full force. Marinette was so frustrated, why was it that the one time they make a mistake, it had to be in front of Lila Rossi? Were they not allowed to fail sometimes? Specially her Kitty! he was going through so much which is why this all happened in the first place, and instead of things getting better he kept getting punished for something he didn't even finish to do! She pressed her hands against her body, knuckles almost white because of the force on her fists.

''Wait hold on, so you DID actually attack Lila's house? I thought she was bluffing!'' Exclaimed Chloe, and Marinette was losing even more patience, but before she could start throwing insults at her, Luka started speaking.

''I also know who those two helping Lila are'' Said the guitarist, completely ignoring Chloe's useless comments. The blonde girl looked actually hurt at that, but Marinette was too focused on her own problems to care.

''It's the two agents that talked to you'' He said, looking at Marinette and Adrien. ''The officers on Master Fu's house''

''What a surprise'' She said rolling her eyes. At this point it was even convenient that all their enemies were working together now. They would take them all down at once, or so she tried to convince herself. A tiny voice on her head screamed at the fact that those men now had powers of their own.

''And…'' Said Luka, frowning not looking at anyone now ''Lila is sicker than we thought she would be'' He commented, obviously not expecting anyone to care about the girl, but Marinette knew that any information they had was useful at this point.

''What do you mean?'' Asked Alya, more curious than worried. But they all knew how using the peacock miraculous ended for people, except Marinette couldn't bring herself to care anymore. Maybe their problems would solve themselves, she thought darkly.

''At some iterations of the fight, we managed to make her detransform. She looked terrible and sometimes she wasn't even moving after. I don't think she has many more encounters in her'' Said the snake hero, unable to mask his empathy for the liar. The others looked uncertain, a mix of emotions at all the new information. Marinette noticed that Luka was having a real hard time, maybe remembering all those different fights was easier said than done. She knew she wouldn't be able to recall every detail she learned, specially not after fifteen thousand times.

''So she's killing herself, hurray'' Said Chloe with low energy, probably still salty at Luka for ignoring her,. For once Marinette was grateful for not having to be the one to voice that thought, though.''She's a criminal! she should pay for her crimes'' finished saying the blond, crossing her arms.

''Exactly, Chloe. She's a criminal, and where do criminals go? To jail, not to the grave. Or at least, it's not us who decide that'' Said Adrien, frowning and raising his voice for the first time in days.

''She's doing this to herself, though. And stopping her has proven to be harder than we thought'' Commented Alya as impartial as she could.

''But we are heroes, we are supposed to save people, even from themselves'' Adrien seemed to be done with the topic after saying that, and he looked directly at Marinette with his determined and worried green eyes. Was he concerned for her? He was the one whose reputation and life had been in danger because of Lila!

''Anyways… we still have our plan for the gala, but for it to work we need to prepare for our new enemies. I'll send each of you notes about the fights we had today so you guys know what to expect, once I get my thoughts in order...'' Luka said, still sounding defeated and tired. ''We need to adjust a bit if those two come to play at the event… but we have enough days'' Marinette scoffed. Right, he was the one with all the time on the world. She had a dress to design on top of everything else. The designer shook her head, feeling a bit ashamed at being so… salty, today. Maybe it was because she was so happy and hopeful not even an hour ago, and the contrast with the present was painful.

Luka was the first one to leave, probably to sleep the rest of the day, if his demeanor was any clue. Chloe followed him and she looked ready to bombard him with questions, frown plastered on her forehead. Marinette decided to quietly text Chloe that she should let the older boy rest, and hoped that the blonde listened for once.

The rest of them decided to spend some time together, not really to try to forget their problems but to support each other. After some reassuring and casual talk, her and Adrien were feeling a lot better. She was still proud of her new powers, she reminded herself.

Following a whim, she touched her boyfriends cheek. Adrien smiled, and he got a little shy, probably thinking that she was about to kiss him in front of the rest. Marinette smirked, and pink light came out of the contact between her hand and his face, making the last remaining cuts disappear. She didn't even feel that tired after doing so, she realized.

Adrien noticed what she was doing, and though he looked a bit disappointed at it not being a kiss, he kept his smile.

''Thank you, my lady'' He said warmly, making her heart flutter.

Marinette started feeling victorious again, even though they hadn't defeated Lila yet. She won the heart of the boy she loved, and this little remainder of that was all she really needed.

She just had to make sure her enemies didn't get the chance to take this from her ever again.

''So you are going to the event as Ladybug and Chat Noir?'' His father asked as he worked on his tablet. Adrien gulped, getting a little flashback of all the times his father used that tone before, the disappointment and the doubt on his choices clear. He had to remind himself sometimes that while this man was still his father, he also was their enemy not so long ago.

''Yes, we need to make a speech to the people of Paris and we will use the venue to do it. It's part of our plan'' Said Marinette, firm on her stance. That earned a glance from the man, who stopped drawing and looked at the girl, raising his eyebrows.

''Very well, I will have to make up an excuse for Adrien then, I have some guests that I wanted you both to meet, but we could do that another time'' Both of them? Wondered Adrien, suddenly curious at what his father's intentions really were. Marinette was equally or maybe even more interested, because she opened her eyes as she realized what the man meant.

''Me too? Why?'' She asked.

''You are an aspiring designer, aren't you, Miss Dupain-Cheng?'' Marinette nodded, still not believing what Gabriel was implying ''It would be good for your career to meet these people early on. But, like I said, it can be done on another event'' He said, then went back to drawing, though Adrien didn't feel like he was signaling for them to leave the room.

Marinette was gaping, but then controlled herself and asked the real question here: ''Why would you want to help me? I'm Ladybug, you hate me'' She said bluntly. Adrien cringed a bit at the amount of honesty his girlfriend was employing while talking to his father and the fact that she wasn't shying away from stating that they were once enemies. One thing was for him to do it, it was his father after all, but Marinette had no protection from the man's wrath other than taking away his freedom, and the model really doubted she would take her boyfriends father from his life just to protect herself and her career. At least, it was something he wouldn't do if the roles were reversed.

To the young couple's surprise, however, the man let out a rare chuckle before answering her question. ''I don't hate you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. The opposite, actually. You saved me from doing something I'm now sure I would have regretted deeply, and then you allowed me to fix my own mistakes by letting me stay with my son. That alone makes you deserving of my admiration, but you also have saved my son's life and healed could have spent these last two days designing your attire for the gala to impress important people and secure your future in the industry, but you chose to stay with Adrien and help him instead. I assure you that not a lot of people would have done that, not even for their loved ones. I don't think I would have, at your age at least.'' He paused a bit, then looked at Marinette straight in the eyes ''I'll do anything in my power to repay you, and that includes making sure your future doesn't suffer because of your duty as Ladybug''

Adrien was too surprised by that little speech to say anything yet, but Marinette reacted by smiling brightly. ''Thank you, Mr. Agreste'' She merely said, and then Gabriel left his spot next to his working station and walked towards the door.

''Nathalie? Could you bring the fabrics please?'' He asked outside the door of the studio. A few seconds later Nathalie came in followed by the Gorilla, who carried a pile composed of rolls of different fabrics. Now it was Adrien's turn to smile as Marinette finally freaked out.

The girl squaked in excitement as she approached the tiny mountain of all kinds of fabrics that the bodyguard placed on an empty table. She then looked at his father, who nodded, and proceeded to touch them one by one as she commented on how she liked each of them.

''What are them for, other than making Marinette cry of happiness?'' Adrien asked, looking at his father still not quite believing how nice he was being.

''We need to make Ladybug and Chat Noir their suits, and we don't have much time left. I'd like to work with Miss Dupain-Cheng to get the best result possible'' He said calmly. Adrien had his suspicions before, but now he was sure that his dad just wanted to get in Marinette's good side. He looked at the girl, who was now talking to Tikki about the red satin she was rubbing with her fingers adoringly. Well, Adrien thought smiling, his father sure knew how to buy people.

''Don't think I'm not worried about your future too, Adrien'' Commented the man next to him as they both watched Marinette's antics ''But we can talk about that later'' It didn't sound like a warning or a threat, so Adrien happily nodded and went to sit on one of the couches. He knew it would be a while here if they started talking designer stuff.

''Miss Dupain-Cheng, Adrien told me you already have a design in mind for your gown?'' He heard Gabriel to Marinette.

''Just Marinette'' She said, and there was a little pause before she clarified ''Just call me Marinette, please'' Adrien wasn't watching any longer, but he guessed his father probably nodded.

''Alright, Marinette. I'd like to see your design so we can start working on it and Chat Noir's''

Adrien was slowly falling asleep as he heard his father and his girlfriend quietly chat about their ideas and the materials they would use. He loved how comfortable Marinette got once the topic was art and fashion design, and how confident she was on her opinions, even in front of such an important figure as his father was. He also discovered that his father was a very just and kind mentor, or at least he was trying to be while reviewing Marinette's drafts and ideas.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face, knowing full well they would wake him up soon enough to test the fabrics on his skin.


	26. Calm before a storm

The bell of the boat-house rang, interrupting Luka's concentration. He had to stop using the miraculous to keep translating the grimoire because of the fight of yesterday, but that didn't mean he had to stop working. He left the book open on the page he was working on at his desk, then got up to answer the door.

It was the evening, so it was not a weird hour for a visitor, but Juleka was out with Rose and his mom was napping, so he wondered for the few seconds it took him to reach the door who could it be. The blond hair he saw through the circular window was enough of a clue.

''Chloe'' He greeted calmly, trying to conceal his surprise with the girls presence. She was carrying a tiny box and looked a bit nervous.

''Hi'' She said, awkward. They hadn't talked since yesterday, mostly because he fell asleep as soon as he got home after the non-fight. But he knew that wasn't why she was acting so shy.

''Come in'' He invited, opening the door for her and moving out of the way. He guided her in silence towards his room, where he usually attended his ´´guests´´. His guitar laid on a corner, unused for the past few days.

''I brought you something''

''Sorry about yesterday''

They both blurted out at the same time. Luka laughed nervously then grabbed the box Chloe brought.

''Thanks'' He said as he opened it. There was a teal mask inside, decorated with shiny sequences that created the illusion of scales. ''Wow this is really nice, for the gala I assume?'' He asked, trying to lift the mood and erase the still awkward tension between them.

''Yeah, now you are properly equipped for the mission'' She said, crossing her arms and avoiding his eyes. So she was still mad at him for ignoring her presence basically after yesterday. Well, this was Chloe after all, he thought.

''Hey, sorry about ignoring you before. It was a tense moment and I had a lot, and I mean A LOT on my head at the moment…'' He tried to excuse himself. He knew he had been a bit mean, but he had the right to make some mistakes, right? If this was how it was going to be with Chloe then…

''What? I'm not mad at you!'' She said, looking at him in surprise. Well, the feeling was mutual. What?

''I was just.. All of you work so hard and you did a lot even though you are not Ladybug… I just feel… useless'' She said, looking at the floor now. ''I know I just busted in the team with no invitation basically, but I feel like I must be able to do more, you know? I've made mistakes in the past and this felt like the perfect chance to…'' She stopped herself from finishing her sentence, probably feeling that she was being too candid already.

Luka realized while she talked that she was feeling exactly what he was before the heroes came to this same house with Sass and a job for him. He couldn't imagine what would it be like to know what would fill that void, that need of purpose, but not being able to do anything to achieve it. And also wanted to repent for her older actions, adding some guilt to the boiling pot of emotions that was the blonde right now. He smiled.

''Silly Chloe'' He said and she lifted her head to look at him, offended. Or pretending to be. He wasn't ever totally sure with her. ''You don't have to prove anything to anyone'' Chloe shook her head.

''But I've messed up! I revealed my identity to everyone, and now I can't be Queen Bee to help fight Lila! I provoked so many Akumas before I-'' He tenderly put a silencing finger on her mouth.

''And you waited almost two years without knowing if you would see your kwami ever again, without getting a word from Ladybug and still behaved, or so I've heard'' He said, a bit scared of inflating Chloe's ego, but deciding that she kind of needed it right now. Besides, not being cruel was basic decency, no matter how much he was starting to like the girl, she didn't exactly deserve praise for acting like a human being.

''Where did you hear that I'm nice now?'' She said, even more offended than when he called her silly. Was it because she didn't like the others talking behind her back? He chuckled.

''No one has said you are nice, Chloe'' He teased. ''You sure have a low bar for what being good entails, if Juleka's off comments about you not bullying her anymore are any indication'' He chuckled at her surprised face. A flicker of worry passed through her eyes,the corners of her mouth lowering for a brief moment. But then she smirked, rising her eyebrows.

''I was born low on goodness, need to use it only when strictly necessary'' She joked back, good mood finally returning to her. At least she acknowledged it, he mentally shrugged.

''What do you think of this style, Marinette?'' Adrien heard his father ask, still looking at his work station. The girl left her spot on the sewing machine after asking for a second, and went to the man's side to look at what he was sketching.

''Hmmm I like it, but it looks too much like me. We won't be transformed, so we need to conceal our identities as much as possible'' Commented the girl after a bit. Gabriel nodded then started moving his pen again.

''Wait, I thought we were going to use a special glamour or something?'' Asked Adrien, sitting up again in his couch. He didn't have a lot to do other than practice his out-of-the-suit cataclysms and give his opinion when asked here and there, so he was spending the days in the workshop where his father and his girlfriend worked tirelessly to create the outfits for the gala.

Luka said in his message after the not-fight against Lila that there wasn't much more he could do for now, except keep in mind that he should not fight the golem if he had a choice. Adrien knew that already, since the golem was made for him specifically, he probably had better chances against their other enemies. The new guardian did a briefing for everyone, explaining to each of them who they should be fighting against next encounter, whenever that was.

''Luka hasn't found anything useful yet, but I wasn't really counting on it, it's just a backup'' Said Marinette as she returned to her spot with the fabrics she loved so much ''We know already that if we are not recognizable as ourselves, we can fool people too, right, Banananoir?'' She teased, and Adrien let out a chuckle that just transformed into laughter as he saw his father's raised eyebrow.

''Sorry if I'm prying too much, but why don't you use the fox miraculous to make illusions of Ladybug and Chat Noir for the gala instead?'' Asked his father, and Adrien realized they hadn't told him much of their plan yet except for the part that the heroes needed to attend. He probably needed to know at this point, just so he would react accordingly to whatever happens.

Marinette seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she looked at him with the question in her eyes. He shrugged, then went back to lay down on the couch, letting his lady do most of the explaining. It was her plan after all.

''It needs to be us who make the speech, and Rena Rouges illusions only last a few minutes. Besides, she will be busy making Adrien and Marinette appear for a moment in the gala, instead.'' She started explaining, knowing full well there was no way back. It wasn't like they didn't trust Gabriel, he knew their identities and had other means to screw them over if he wanted to a long time ago. It was out of habit, not trusting anyone but themselves with their problems. It was already kind of weird to be a part of such a large group, even if he enjoyed it a lot, it had been just him and his lady for so long that their dynamics had a tendency to secrecy by default now.

''I suppose that the illusions of your real identities won't be in the party for long, then?'' He asked, and Marinette probably nodded because he just continued ''I only made up and excuse for Adrien to not attend, I guess it's useless now'' He commented with a slight annoyance. The model realized that they probably should have told his father sooner about their plans. This could have backfired badly, he cringed.

Marinette explained to him her idea of just making it look like they went to Adrien's room for privacy or something like that. He wasn't looking at her, but he knew she was blushing red, both for bringing up such a topic to the man and for remembering that it was a good excuse because of how plausible it was. Had there been no Lila to deal with, that's probably what they would have done after chatting with a few people, he thought with a smirk.

The rest of the plan was simple enough. The heroes would take a moment at the venue's scenario to give a speech, basically asking for the citizens patience and trust. They would call Lila out on her lies, but not out her identity as Pavona. Adrien had a hard time convincing Marinette of giving the girl the same chance she gave his father. After all, he did terrorize the city for two long years, as opposed to Lila whose crimes were a little more subtle. The model paid close attention to his father's expression as Marinette shared that part of their plan, and he was not disappointed by what he saw. Gabriel looked at his son's eyes as he filled his lungs, a little smile decorating his face.

''Then Lila would have to react one way or another, either as herself or as Pavona, and we have prepared contingencies for both'' Said Marinette. Adrien was kind of nervous of his father's opinion on all of this. Not because he needed his approval (Well maybe he still did a little, but not in hero matters) but because he was smart. If he found no obvious flaws in their idea, then their chances could only be good, right?

''Are you expecting this… Pavona, to interrupt the gala?'' He asked after doing his share of thinking in silence, while the couple waited not without some anxiety.

''Yes, that's why we need to be there as heroes already, to respond as quickly as possible before she can do too much damage. I don't know how well my miraculous cure works while fighting against other miraculous users instead of Akumas and Sentimonsters…'' She said, expressing one insecurity about her powers he had never heard before. Tikki took that moment to come out of the bundle of fabrics, where she had been lounging this whole time with Plagg.

''It works a little different with direct damage provoked by wielders and not a controlled being, but you can clean it up, Marinette, you just need to be there as it starts'' Explained the kwami, a tone in her voice implying that this wasn't the first time she assured her charge on this topic. Marinette still looked doubtful, probably because she had never done that before. Adrien knew she would not be 100% sure of it working until she saw it herself for the first time.

''I see'' Gabriel nodded holding his chin ''And will you explain the reason why these last battles have happened to the people of Paris?'' He asked. Marinette shook her head, her answer ready.

''No, I don't like the idea of everyone knowing too much about the jewels, so I won't mention the miracle box if it's not necessary. I will say that this was not you- Um Hawkmoth, and it's a new villain altogether, I think that should be enough for now'' Answered the aspiring designer.

''What about the attack on Lila Rossi's house?''

''That's the part that I will use to explain how unreliable Lila is, I'll just say a half truth: That she misinterpreted a situation and that Chat Noir meant no harm to her, that her house getting destroyed was an unfortunate accident. At the same time, Nino and Alya would have leaked a document with proof of all her lies, for anyone interested to check after the speech'' Plus the fact that some of the people that Lila lied about would be present in the Gala. Jagged Stone and prince Ali will have their own role answering some questions innocent people in the crowd (Aka, more Illusions courtesy of a recharged Rena Rouge) would ask about them being friends with the girl. By the end of the party, Lila Rossi's reputation will be in shambles, and even if she got the chance to try and spill their secrets, Marinette and Adrien were already seen in the middle of the party.

''And all of that on live television. She will be furious'' Commented Gabriel once he had no more questions. That was the dangerous part, thought one might believe her after the Gala anymore, but the girl surely had the firepower now to cause a lot of mayhem. They had been training and planning for that, specially if she attacked that same night, which was the most likely scenario.

Luka would be there, ready to go transform into Viperion and use his powers as soon as any battle broke out. Alya and Nino too, though those two would be tasked with helping civilians first, as their powers were the most protective ones. Ladybug and himself would have to face their enemies in the meantime.

Adrien was most nervous about that last part. He read Luka's notes, knew the powers of their enemies and they also knew who they were. Still, his confidence in his fighting skills was somewhat hurt by his latest missions. Worst case scenario, he would have to transform into Destruction one more time…Though he hadn't told those thoughts to anyone, and probably won't. Specially to Marinette. For her sake, however, he would do his best to win without using that last card.

Gabriel Agreste watched as his son said his goodbyes to Marinette, then went to his room to sleep. It was 1AM and if the girl wasn't a superhero, Gabriel would have been a lot more stressed about letting her go without company. His son didn't even care that she was Ladybug, he wanted to go with her anyways, but the girl rejected his offer. The man understood why as the emotions coming out of her were something that resonated a lot with him. It was something that didn't really have a name, but he knew for sure that all that girl had in her head that night was her work, the dress, fabrics, art, creation itself.

It wasn't like Adrien couldn't possibly understand it, but when one was so in the zone like that, talking was not really a desire; That was even more true after a long day of being in company of others. She probably wanted to spare the boy a long walk in silence.

As soon as he heard Adrien's bedroom door close, he turned around to face Nathalie. She was holding her tablet as she always did, but instead of porting that little smile she got the habit of having on her face lately, the woman was frowning.

''You are worried'' He pointed out, and she merely nodded, already used to his supernatural empathy. He sighed.

''Me too, their plan is good, I admit, but it's not flawless'' He commented and Nathalie nodded, confirming to him that she was thinking about the same thing.

''So many things can go wrong…'' She whispered, hugging her device tighter. He had a sudden impulse after seeing her like that, something he had been feeling a lot lately around the woman but was exacerbated by her sadness. He decided to listen to it and, without overthinking it any longer, he hugged her.

Her surprise lasted less than a second, replaced quickly by relief as she relaxed in his arms. She responded to the hug, surrounding him with her arms though she never let go of her tablet, he noticed, amused.

''All we can do is hope for the best, and prepare for the worst'' He whispered, still not letting go of the embrace. It not longer was something he did to make her feel better, but it was surprisingly making him feel things he hadn't felt in a while.

She didn't respond, burying her head in his neck instead. He knew she understood what he meant, though, a bit of her sadness coming back to fill his brain without invitation.

Agent A. as he referred to himself these days, and by days he meant the last five years, made his last patrol of the night around Lila Rossi's house perimeter. The butterfly miraculous powered him, and the suit let him leap heights and move faster than he thought was humanly possible. Then again, these powers had nothing to do with humanity.

He finished his round and met with his partner, Agent T. The usually quiet man was waiting for him already, still transformed into his Dragon persona. They didn't name themselves anything special, they would not pretend to be heroes or villains like these kids did. Their job was to get as many artifacts to Mr. M. , not to play with them.

T. doubted his deal with the girl would give them many more than what they already got, and he wasn't stupid, he knew she didn't intend on giving up the box just like that. She oozed ambition, and no matter how good she was at lying, that wasn't something you could cover up that easily. Not to him, at least. He knew her kind of people. He worked for them, after all.

''Took you long enough'' He said, teasing his partner who had probably been waiting for him for a couple minutes already. The dragon was faster than the moth, who would have thought.

''The girl is dying'' Commented T. like he was talking about the time. A. was no longer surprised by his stoicism, only when he showed real anger he concerned himself with his partner's actions. Lately that hadn't been as rare as before, he thought a bit worried. He barely knew the man, this being only their second job together, but he was pretty sure by now that he hated the so called heroes of Paris for some reason.

''Are you worried about her?'' He teased again, not really expecting any interesting response. His only modes were apathy and anger, nothing else. And stuff like his little mockery was not enough to elicit the second. T. shrugged, then started walking towards their base. Before leaving the deserted alley, they dropped their transformations and took their jewels off, not wanting the little creatures to bother them any more than necessary.

''We can take the box once she's gone'' He said, and this did merit an angry glare from T. He was not worried about the girl either, neither of them could care less if she died tomorrow. But T. really wanted to know the identities of the other users.

He saw the use on knowing who the heroes were, since it would make it a lot easier to take their jewels from them, but he had no idea of why T. wanted to know who Hawkmoth was, too. Agent A. prided himself in being a cold hearted and logical ´´worker´´, he didn't really care who these people were and just wanted to get paid. But T.? T. was here for something else. Revenge, maybe, thought the agent, shrugging mentally.

Well, if she died soon, he would get paid soon, then probably be asked to come back to Paris for more. He didn't mind, starting over and stalking those kids some more until they broke. But the Rossi girl had being extremely useful, it was a lucky coincidence that she wanted to ruin the heroes reputations while they needed an excuse to take their powers away without alerting the population too much.

Oh well, that was what happened when you tampered too much with things you didn't understand. He felt at the pin he had in his pocket now. He didn't understand it either, he thought, as he let go of it again.


	27. The illusion of trust

Saying that Marinette was nervous would be an understatement. The girl and her partner had to leave the mansion with their new outfits in a bag, dress themselves in Marinette's room, transform into Chat Noir and Ladybug then head to the gala as the hour of its opening approached.

They were on that second part, the girl was waiting for her boyfriend to come out of her bathroom wearing his new Chat Noir themed suit. In the meantime, she looked at herself in the mirror, checking that every corner of her gown was perfect.

Gabriel and her ended up changing her original design a lot, but she liked the results. Her first idea was a happy mix between Ladybug and Marinette's styles. It had a lot of black dots on red fabric, frills and sequences. This gown that she was now wearing was a lot more mature. It was a mutual agreement, since she would not be transformed while wearing this, that they had to make her look as different from Marinette as possible, but also keep herself recognizable as Ladybug. The result was her looking like an intimidating queen, a mature woman that was mysterious and collected. She supposed that is how most people that didn't know her saw Ladybug.

She put on the mask to complete the look, and felt a chill through her whole body watching the figure in the mirror. A permanent smile was plastered on her otherwise inexpressive face, blue eyes made of a special material that let her see through with no problems, but that hid her real ones behind. The mask had both black and polka-dotted red, and the same went for the dress. The fabric with the black spots was underneath a piece that covered her from her chest to her feet. She had long black sleeves that went up to her shoulders and covered most of her arms, and on top of those were the simulated bug wings, a transparent gold and shiny fabric. Gold was the extra accent decorating both her and Chat Noirs outfits, the most notorious part being the miracle box symbol that, in her case, laid on one of her hips.

''Wow'' She heard Adrien's voice from behind her as he came out of the bathroom. She turned around and saw that he, too, was wearing his mask, which surprised her because his voice didn't sound muffled at all. Money sure did help with these things, she briefly thought before she got hypnotized by her partners look.

He was wearing what would be a simple black suit if it wasn't for the green and gold decorations, and the cat mask. the miraculous symbol was on his back, gold like hers and like the metal piece he had on one of his shoulders, a golden paw. His hair looked mostly the same as Chat Noir's did in his suit, while she had to wear extensions for the tomato to look as good as it did, with all its intricate shapes.

He slowly approached her and then stood by her side, staring at them both in the mirror.

''We look… kind of scary'' He said, concern in his voice. She nodded, thinking that the costumes made them look a bit unapproachable, like a king and a queen, instead of heroes about to pledge their service to a city. Then again, that could work too. She had faith in her speech and the fact that a mask would be covering her emotions from everyone as she spoke made her a little less nervous about the whole thing. It had it's pros and cons.

She looked up to Adrien- no, Chat Noir, and tried to find anything on his covered face. the green eyes on his mask were made of the same lens that her blue ones were, and she confirmed that it was impossible to see through them from the outside. She did a little nod, confidence returning to her and though she was still anxious, at least she was positive no one would recognize them as Marinette and Adrien, glamour or not.

''Shall we, princess?'' He said as he offered her his arm. She could tell he was smiling by the tone of his voice, and she couldn't help but join after hearing that nickname. For the first time ever, the title kind of fit her, she thought looking at herself one last time on the mirror before calling for her transformation.

Chat Noir did the same, and they both paid their goodbye to her parents before leaving for the party. They would be a fashionable couple minutes late, as was planned. Marinette and Adrien would already be there, illusions that Rena Rouge would be manipulating from the backstage. Alya was so proud when she announced a couple days ago that she could maintain her power for more than five minutes now, and Marinette was proud of her friend too. She had only been a permanent user for a month now, yet she had made incredible progress. Then again, she could say the same for all her team.

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on the paparazzi filled street in front of the venue, and everyone turned around to watch and record them, microphones ready for questions. Gabriel Agreste, one of the organizers of the event, announced just two days ago that the heroes of Paris would attend, and the news had been the talk of almost the whole city, invited or not, since then. The heroine was happy to see that not everyone believed Lila's lies yet, and faith in the heroes was not so rare as she thought it would be.

''Ladybug, why come to such a public event after weeks of silence?''

''Ladybug! will you explain the recents events?''

''Chat Noir did you really attack an innocent girls house?''

The questions from the reporters flowed, and the heroine had to make an effort to not open her mouth and respond immediately, no matter how much she wanted to. It had to be everything at the same time, so Lila would have less of a window to respond. So, she just lifted a hand signaling that she would not speak, then called her transformation off. Chat Noir did the same at her side, and the gasps replaced every other form of speech from the crowd. They made space for them, all cameras pointing at the hero couple that were now standing in their designer outfits.

Ladybug giggled softly at the disappointment she saw in some of their faces, mixed with the awe and admiration that most of them expressed. No more questions were thrown at them as she took her partners arm and they walked towards the entrance, but all of the cameras were watching.

She heard Nadia Chamak happily announce their arrival for her news station, and she felt more and more relief and confidence as she noticed that they were, indeed, well received by both guests and bystanders. She breathed in, filling her lungs as they went inside.

The place, as expected, was gorgeously decorated. The theme of that year was gold, fitting nicely with the accents on her and Chat Noirs outfits. There were pieces in the form of giant golden diamonds hanging from the ceiling, and they got bigger and hung lower at the center of the place, were dancing would be happening. The giant room was filled with glamorous people, all of them following the gala's theme of gold, some of them being bold enough to look basically like statues made from the material. Also, everyone wore masks.

She supposed it was a fun thing for famous people, to be able to move around without being bothered too much, since almost no one was immediately recognizable for the girl. She heard a groan coming from her partner as they walked, and she giggled as she saw the source of his discomfort.

A long buffet was prepared with various snacks, and her boyfriend stopped walking as he looked at them for a moment. They could not remove their masks to eat, she noticed for the first time and a loud laugh escaped her. This was such a silly problem compared to everything else. Chat Noir at her side made the effort of looking depressed as they passed the food, but she knew by now that he did it to make her laugh.

''We can eat later, Kitty'' She teased, making sure her voice sounded as provoking as she intended that statement to be. The boy at her side stopped for a moment, paralyzed, then snorted.

''My lady!'' He said, and she really wished she could see the blush that probably was on his face right now. She would end up hating these masks by the end of the day, she was sure.

Several people were making them room to walk around, staring at them. She supposed it was only fair, even if most of these folk were extremely famous themselves, no one was as recognizable as the heroes of Paris. No one else was as controversial either.

''Welcome to my humble event, heroes'' Said Gabriel Agreste's voice coming from a man in a white suit with gold accents. They would not have known it was him if it wasn't for the fact that she already knew what he would wear. That only made her feel safer, however.

''Thank you, sir, for inviting us'' They exchanged formalities as they practiced before, knowing full well they had millions of eyes on them. Every single word mattered.

After some chatting with random people, which, to her surprise, didn't include any hard topics for the heroes, she realized it was nearly the time they would have to make their speech. She spotted Adrien and Marinette dancing together around ten minutes ago, she was sure the illusions were over now and Alya must have had enough time to recharge. She looked at her partner's mask, and when she was sure his gaze was on hers, she nodded. He responded with a nod of his own and gulped nervously, then they both went to the main stage.

''You know, this is not as bad as I thought it would be'' Said Luka as he danced with Chloe. It was such a surreal thing for him, to be there with this particular girl in his arms. He would have felt like he didn't fit in at all if it wasn't for the fact that he was wearing the appropriate attire.

''What do you mean? This is the best event of the year!'' She exclaimed, pretending to be offended by his comment. Her smile betrayed her, as did her arms around his neck. He smiled looking at the beautiful girl he was dancing with, still half believing this was real.

It was like this event was made for Chloe, as the gold theme went perfectly with her love for yellow. She shamelessly took the Bee theme for the dress too, a two piece with gold and white lines on the top, and a garden of golden flowers decorating the bottom of her long white skirt. Her mask was a simple eye-cover with the same patterns as her dress.

''Hey dudes!'' Greeted who they had to take a second to recognize as Nino. The Dj and his girlfriend got closer to them at one point and they didn't even notice, well, he didn't, as he was too busy admiring the girl in front of him.

''There is no point on wearing masks if anyone can tell it's you when you open your mouth'' Said Chloe as she rolled her eyes. Alya giggled as she danced with her partner.

''We could say the same for you Chloe, but you didn't even bother with your dress'' Remarked the reporter. Luka couldn't help but laugh too.

''Well duh, my identity is not a secret to anyone'' Said Chloe. Nino and Alya chose innocently innocuous outfits. Their presence there as Carapace and Rena Rouge needed to be a secret until -If- battle started. Same for him, though the only mask he had was the teal one Chloe gave him, so he had to trust the glamour and the fact that Viperion was one of the least public heroes to conceal his persona. Still, that conversation was kind of risky considering they were surrounded by cameras, so he made sure to signal them to change topics.

They bantered for a little longer until they noticed Ladybug and Chat Noir approaching the main stage. The four of them started at each other's eyes, all joy replaced with anxiousness.

They watched as Ladybug took the microphone first and hesitated a bit before speaking, the contrast between her shyness and the kind of intimidating outfit and mask she was wearing making Luka smile a bit.

''People of Paris'' Ladybugs clear voice resonated through the whole room, which was no small task considering the place was huge. He heard a faint ´´You can do this, girl´´ coming from Alya at his side.

The heroine waited a moment to make sure she had everyone's attention. She probably didn't even had to bother, all cameras in the room immediately turned to the stage as soon as she spoke.

''Firstly I'd like to thank the organization of this event for the invitation, and I apologize in advance for interrupting your evening, but I think it was time now that we clarified some things to the inhabitants of this beautiful city, and the world'' A little pause, probably to make sure she was being listened to. The bustling in the room quieted after her first few words, and now that she stopped for a second the silence was almost oppressive. Someone on the staff even turned the music off.

''We, Chat Noir and Ladybug, are at your service'' She said ominously, then her and her partner bowed slightly. Luka glanced around to see people's reaction. It was going well, he decided after seeing the smiles on some, and the pure admiration on others. There were a couple who just looked at each other in confusion, but no one interrupted her yet so it was fine.

''As you might know already, there are some things we needed to clarify with everyone since a while ago, and for that delay, I apologize'' She continued ''But let me start by saying that there is a lot of misinformation going around, ´´fake news´´ as some might call it '' She said that last part making air quotations, and Luka could hear some giggling in the room.

The heroine proceeded to explain everything that they planned on explaining, with Chat Noir taking over in some parts. When it came to the topic of the attack on Lila's house, the cat himself told the story as they planned to: A misinterpretation on Lila's part of the situation, mixed with an unfixable accident. Luka in the meantime watched the public reactions, and he was very satisfied with what he saw. It was like they were expecting this, and a lot of the guests seemed relaxed and happy at finally hearing explanations on the latest controversies.

When they started talking about Lila, Alya interrupted raising her hand. It looked kind of silly, they were not in school, but Luka supposed it was the most respectful way of interrupting the speech.

''Yes?'' Asked Ladybug, acting as if she didn't already know what Alya was going to ask.

''Hello Ladybug, I'm Alya Cesaire, the creator of the Ladyblog and I also happen to be Lila Rossi's classmate'' Started saying the reporter, innocence filling her tone ''I just wanted to say that, I have a really hard time believing that such a cool and good girl like her would be lying about any of this. She has done so much to help I just don't see it. She is close friends with important and beloved people like Jagged Stone or Prince Ali, and she has worked in charities around the globe to-''

''What? Who?'' Exclaimed Jagged, revealing his presence in the middle of the crowd.

''Lila Rossi, sir. She is your friend, isn't she?'' Asked Alya, just a tiny bit of suspicion on her voice now. The people around started looking at each other and murmuring.

''I don't know any Lila, and I remember all my friends!'' Clarified the man, childishly crossing his arms.

''I don't know who she is either, this is the first time I heard her name, did I miss something?'' Politely voiced prince Ali.

Before everyone started talking and making too much of a commotion, Ladybug called for order.

''Like I said, she is not a reliable source of information. I don't know why she wants to make us look bad, but it's in part why it took us so long to say anything. She's just a highschool girl that wants attention''

Careful, Marinette. Thought Luka, noticing how the resentment on her voice was making a presence for the first time in her speech. Ladybug needed to act as impartial and just as possible, not like someone that had a vendetta. Thankfully she relaxed, then continued with her promises of the heroes doing all in their hands to make Paris the safest city in the world.

''We just ask for one thing in return'' Said Chat Noir, and then gave back the mic to his partner. ''Faith. Faith and trust that we are on your side, and will always be'' She finished saying, earning a deafening applause from the crowd. No one could see behind their masks, but Luka was sure the heroes were probably crying with happiness right now at seeing their plan working. At least Marinette was, he smiled as he saw her leaving the stage and making an attempt at wiping her eyes, which comically failed as she was still wearing her mask. That little thing probably made them even more trustworthy than any of their words, he thought. The fact that they would be so emotional and vulnerable, while also having the courage to finally speak their minds.

''Thank you, Ladybug, Chat Noir'' Said who Luka thought was probably the official presenter of the night, taking over the stage. The man proceeded to announce the next entertainment, but no one was really listening to him, the masked crowd murmuring and talking to each other still.

''Good job, babe'' Nino whispered to Alya, who was wiping her brow.

''I was so nervous!'' She said.

''If I didn't know better, even I would have believed that you still admired that bitch'' Chloe said to the reported, complimenting her in her own weird way.

''Your illusions are great, even without your powers'' Added Luka, and Alya smiled brightly.

''Aaand it's up'' Said Nino, showing the others his phone. He had just anonymously uploaded the document with Lila's lies. Everything at the same time to make her fall, as was planned.

She could show up right now and tell everyone the heroes identities, and no one would believe her. She could attack as Pavona in rage, but the damage was already done anyways. They would just have to win the fight, he thought, remembering that the job was not done yet. He had to stay vigilant at any signs of an Akuma, Sentimonster, or miraculous user that wasn't in their team. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the party a little.

''May I?'' He asked, offering a hand to Chloe.

''Took you long enough'' She teased, but her wide smile betrayed her again.

Alya and Nino were already dancing, and Luka catched a glimpse at Ladybug and Chat Noir together on the floor too. They were in the middle of it, actually, looking like the stars of the show. They probably were, he realized as he noticed everyone was watching them.

Adrien guided his lady on the dance floor, moving at the rhythm of the weird mix between old bals and electronic effects. He would have to ask Nino and Luka later if it was a good sound or not, but for now he couldn't care less. His masked eyes were glued on Ladybug, static smile plastered on her covered face. He couldn't tell what she was thinking as they were both in silence, but he decided to just enjoy the moment instead of asking. Besides, cameras everywhere.

At one point several people started approaching them with praises and some questions, which they now happily answered. They had to stay at the party as long as it lasted, and judging by the the schedule of entertainments and announces, it was not going to be short.

He didn't think he could be happier than right now, though. They were finally winning, his friends and family were with him, he had the girl of his dreams dancing in his arms. He saw his father doing the same with Nathalie, and he decided to guide Ladybug to go talk to them when the doors of the venue suddenly opened.

Several special ops officers raided the room, guns in hands and covered faces. The guests were all confused for a moment, as he was, not sure if this was part of the show or something else. His gut told him it was the later, then he felt his heart drop as the men approached Nathalie and his father.

''Gabriel Agreste, you are under arrest for terrorism and conspiracy against the people of Paris, you have the right to remain silent''


	28. The power of Creation

One of the armed officials brusquely grabbed Gabriel's arms and binded them with cuffs. Adrien watched as the man was silent and didn't made any move of protest against the arrest.

The model then started moving towards them, shock controlling his body, but stopped for a moment when he saw the look in his father's eyes. He was shaking his head as he expressed a sadness in him he hadn't seen since his mother disappeared. But Adrien was not going to let his father be taken away just like that.

''Wait!'' He started calling for the officers as they were coercing Nathalie to go with them.

But as he started to move again towards the scene he felt something slashing against his face.

Marinette didn't know what to do as she watched disaster unfold. Adrien at her side didn't do anything at first, but then he called for the officers and she knew she had to stop him before he made a mistake. Before she could, however, she saw a small lightning bolt cross the cat hero's face. Confusion overwhelmed her until she saw in horror that her partners mask had flown away when the lightning hit it.

A loud gasp from various people of the crowd, including the special forces, woke her from the shock of what just happened, but Adrien was just stood there staring at the mask on the floor.

''Adrien Agreste?''

''It can't be''

''It makes so much sense!''

The heroine heard those comments as she finally took action, trying to shake his partner from his shock first.

''What a nice party!'' Exclaimed a voice she really didn't want to hear right now, making her look from her paralyzed boyfriend to the blue girl who just walked in from the main door, as if she was a guest late to the gala instead of a villain about to cause mayhem.

''Lila'' Ladybug muttered to herself, then noticed the small black butterfly.

Luka bit his lip as he saw Gabriel Agreste being taken away by the police, then as quickly as he could started running towards any private spot to transform into Viperion. He heard Chloe's steps behind him as they both ran, and he decided he had no time to lose on trying to get the girl out of the place.

He found the men's bathroom and transformed inside, not bothering to check if there was anyone listening from one of the stalls. When he came out, Chloe was taking her pepper spray from her purse and tying her long hair back into a ponytail. He knew there would be no point -And no time- to argue with her, so he just gave her a look and started running back to the main room.

But when he turned a corner, he saw that the whole place was surrounded by a wall of strong winds.

''What is this?!'' He exclaimed frustrated. He couldn't even peek what was happening inside, the winds carrying all the curtains and fabrics that used to cover the tables and windows of the room.

Viperion tried touching it but a commanding ´´Stop!´´ Coming from behind him made him hesitate just millimeters before the weird, giant tornado touched his fingertips.

Chloe then approached the wall of wind, a decorative chandelier on her hands, and poked at it with one of the ends of the object. It got sucked out of her hands immediately and disappeared, probably already part of the whole bunch of things that were spinning around the room.

''I can't use my powers if I can't see what's going on!'' He complained, hands on his hair in desperation. They did not see this coming, at all. The dragon user didn't do anything like this on their first fights!

''Let's try surrounding it, we might find a way in'' Said Chloe, strangely collected as she put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He nodded, then he grabbed her bridal style.

Chloe looked like she was about to protest, but he interrupted her before she could say anything ''This is faster'' he said and he leaped.

Marinette had her eyes on the Akuma flying towards her as two men that appeared behind Pavona. The dragon and the butterfly miraculous new wielders were already transformed, silently joining the girl as she smiled starting at Marinette.

''Spots on!'' She called and started spinning her yoyo to repel the butterfly, but got distracted as a powerful gust of wind started blowing.

The previously impeccable event room was quickly becoming a mess, with fabrics and diamond shaped gold decorations floating around. The guests finally catched on that this was not part of the show, and started screaming and running around, only to find themselves surrounded by a wall of wind at every corner of the room. Celebrities, reporters, models, designers, heroes and villains, all of them were trapped now inside of what was virtually the eye of a giant tornado.

Ladybug saw some of the civilians being blown away by the wind as they touched it, trying to escape, and anger took over her. People were getting hurt! She stared at the dragon wielder, deciding that he needed to be down first. But she didn't even need to move towards him because he quickly took the naginata sword out of its sheath and ran towards her at superpowered speed.

She soon became too busy deflecting blows from the dragon to protect herself from the Akuma, and the little butterfly was above her as the man kept attacking her. To her horror, however, the insect went past the heroine.

All of this took only seconds, and she couldn't react fast enough as she realized who the victim really was. It was not her with her anger, it was Adrien's shock and despair.

''Chat Noir! Watch out!'' She screamed, parrying another blow from the dragon. She heard Pavona laugh as the boy only moved his eyes to look at her with those sad eyes before his ring absorbed the Akuma.

Adrien reacted only when it was too late, shaking his right hand in an attempt of avoid the inevitable. Purple enveloped him for a moment, then revealed what looked pretty much like the boy in his elegant suit minus the mask, but everything was now white. His suit, his hair, his skin. Everything white except for his eyes, that were blue instead of the usual green.

''No'' She whispered, watching her worst nightmares unfold in front of her eyes. Again.

She didn't have any time to mourn or help her partner, because the dragon launched another series of attacks towards her.

''Alright kitty boy, bring me your partners miraculous along with yours, if you would be so kind'' Said the voice of the butterfly user, a bright pink mask over his eyes as he communicated his orders to his victim.

Still fighting, Ladybug saw that Adrien slowly moved and looked at his ring, then whispered something. A pale blue light transformed him into Chat Blanc.

The sad blue eyes of the white cat started aiming at her as she tried to repel the dragon, and a ball of power formed on the tip of one of his fingers. She knew what happened with that, and realized that she couldn't move or everyone behind her would vanish.

''Hey, wait-'' Started saying the dragon as he noticed that he was on the line of fire too, and he stopped attacking her to try and get out, but it was too late. The white ball launched towards them at sickening speed, and Ladybug saw it coming towards her with horror.

Alya and Nino were hiding below one of the buffet tables, the only thing that

offered some sort of protection against the winds and the cameras. They wanted to transform and help Ladybug as soon as possible, but they weren't the only ones that thought of hiding. Jagged stone and what probably was his assistant were there too, hugging each other in terror as the battle unfolded.

Alya bit her lip as she watched her best friend fend off the dragon user, while Adrien stood there, unmoving. His mask had come off in front of live television and his father just got outed as Hawkmoth, she didn't blame the boy for being too shocked to move immediately, but someone had to help Marinette!

Pavona hadn't even summoned her sentimonster yet, and Alya wondered if she was just playing around with the red heroine when she saw the little black butterfly approach Adrien from above. The boy was giving her back to her, but she could tell that the akuma had gone to his ring, transforming him into a pale version of himself.

''I'm officially scared'' Said Nino by her side, watching as his bro got akumatized for the first time, then transform into a white version of Chat Noir. Chat Blanc? She shook her head, this was not the time for wondering what his akuma name would be! She needed to transform and help, not sit here just observing! And where was Viperion?!

''Oh shit'' Cursed Nino, taking her attention away from her scouting of the place to find a private spot to transform. Chat Blanc was aiming his power at Ladybug and the dragon, and Alya knew that the heroine was not going to avoid the blast. Would she be able to repel such a thing with her yoyo? She had no idea, but the ball of energy was getting bigger and bigger and it didn't look like something you just… spinned away.

Ladybug stood in her place, watching the white cataclysm fly to her face with a horrified expression, but right before the impact, Alya could swear she saw her friend frown in determination.

The light that enveloped the whole place was not white. It was pink, and when it dissipated, everything was the same except for the light magenta shining figure that floated where Ladybug was just moments ago. Her eyes were a bright red and Alya saw them stare at the white cat menacingly. Was that Marinette? Was this Creations pure form? The reporter had no idea what to expect anymore, but she was tired of being an expectator anyways.

''Let's go, Nino'' She said to the DJ on her right, who stopped staring at the battle to look at his girlfriend like she just spoke Chinese.

''But-'' the boy was about to protest, but Alya interrupted him by calling her transformation. That made Jagged and his assistant turn their heads towards her, probably just noticing their presence.

''Not a word, to anyone'' She coolly warned the star, who nodded despite his shock.

Nino watched the musician and the woman with caution as he called for his own transformation, and then they both got out of their hiding place to join the battle.

Pavona was enjoying every second of this.

She knew on the back of her mind that she should take the chance of having Chat Noir under their control to get his ring immediately, but seeing him fight with Ladybug was something she didn't want to miss. She loved the desperate expression on Adrien as the world saw his face and his father was taken away.

Dragon's tornado barrier was strategically put to block the battle from the officers and the ex-villain, the only people trapped inside being most of the guests and her targets. She supposed the other heroes would be around to interfere, but she still had her golem to summon if that happened.

The Akumatized cat then started charging his power while aiming it at his partner, and the face the heroine made was delicious. Pavona didn't even care if Dragon was caught on the crossfire and his barrier dropped, this was exactly what those two deserved! she couldn't contain her laugh anymore, but then cut it short as she realized that Ladybug was not going to get out of the way of the blast. Would her miraculous disappear along her if that growing white ball of destruction hit her? Pavona panicked, she needed those earrings!

The blue girl pulled the arm of the man beside her, but the moth was too occupied looking at the unfolding events with sweat on his brow.

''Don't let him destroy the earrings!'' She ordered him.

''I can't control him properly'' He said, gritting his teeth.

''Then take his Akuma away!''

But it was too late, a bright pink light enveloped the whole place, and for the second it lasted, Pavona thought they all died.

She breathed again, not really realizing she wasn't the whole duration of that moment, when she saw the room once more. Everyone on her sight looked utterly confused, then she noticed the white-pink figure that floated where Ladybug was moments ago.

Pavona and her allies didn't dare to move, not knowing what was going on, but then she remembered the dark figure that attacked her in her room and she understood.

''Creation…'' She whispered in awe, not able to take her eyes off the shining shape of a young woman as she approached the akumatized cat.

''Should I recall his akuma now?'' Asked moth by her side, and she shook her head. The man didn't look sure of her instructions, but since she knew way more about the miraculous than he did, he obeyed. At least she thought that was the reason why he listened to her.

''I need the earrings'' Pavona said again, but she wasn't so sure anymore this was the way to get both jewels. The two white figures were about to fight for real now, and she didn't know if the result of the fight would be favorable to her. Was Ladybug conscious under that mystical form? She wondered, noticing how the cat looked apprehensive of fighting the goddess.

Moth instructed again for the cat to take the earrings, casting a bright pink mask on both of them as they communicated.

''N-no'' Said the cat in a shaky voice as he positioned himself in a defensive way, watching the white pink figure approach him.

Dragon looked unsure of what to do, Pavona could tell he was sweating in fear as he recovered from the shock of almost being vanished from existence. He was probably a lot less experienced in battle than moth- Agent A.- was, because the other man didn't seem as paralyzed by seeing what basically was the pure form of creation itself.

Creation was nearly at touching length of the cat, who started panicking. The akumatized hero started backing away and desperately casting another ball of energy. Creation didn't stop him when he threw it, missing her by a hair. The ball hit a portion of the wall of wind behind her, making a giant round hole where a bunch of people were bundled up before. A second later, pink light restored the damage like it never happened, and the guests that returned from who knows where looked at each other in confusion and fear.

The witnesses that weren't directly attacked seemed to be hypnotized by Creation, even the people that were just moments ago still filming everything dropped their instruments to the floor, not bothering with them as they observed. Pavona knew that they were probably feeling the same as her, a sort of attraction to the goddess of life. The only reason she wasn't as vulnerable to the hypnotic sight was probably because she was transformed with a miraculous of her own. It was a weird mix inside of her. She loathed Marinette, but Creation's pull contrasting that hatred confused her brain each time she glanced at the shining figure.

As she looked around, she noticed the two other heroes joining the battle and frowned. They would not interrupt her plans. Pavona summoned her golem using the same object she did the last time, a piece of wood recovered from her destroyed house, but she immediately knew it would be a weaker version of it. Her fear of Chat Noir was now replaced by a new fear she had gotten in the past days: She would die soon if she didn't get that wish. The fuel for her creation being dampened by her colliding emotions resulted in a significantly smaller golem appearing by her side.

''Don't let them interfere!'' She ordered the sentimonster, pointing at the fox and the turtle as they approached.

The first thing the creature did was start pounding with one hand on the floor where the heroes were. They avoided his first hit but Carapace had to use his shield for the second one, a surprise attack with his other hand that was so unexpected it caught Chat Noir by surprise the last time it was used. Pavona was in awe, how did he know the golem was going to do that? Well it didn't matter much, both heroes were trapped under the incessant pounding of the sentimonster, not being able to leave the shield for risk of getting hit.

Meanwhile, Chat blanc kept firing and missing his blasts of destruction, and everything he hit was being restored immediately. Creation was not even bothering to look at anything else other than her partner, who kept backing away from her. Eventually she caught his right hand as he was casting another one, and that pink light started emitting again. She was purifying him!

Frustrated, Pavona told the moth to order Chat Blanc to escape and bring the ring, but it was too late. Creation was now hugging the Akumatized cat, and when the shine stopped making looking at them impossible, Chat Noir was back to normal.

Chat Noir was still transformed when he found himself embracing the most beautiful being he had ever seen. Shocked, he realized that this was Marinette turned into Creation. Did she lose control? Or she had to do it out of necessity? He tried to remember what happened after his mask dropped, and the memory of the black butterfly entering his ring told him everything he needed to know. He looked around, expecting to see clues of what he had done, but he only got more confused.

A wall of wind was surrounding most of the room, and a bunch of guests were staring mesmerized at his Lady. He didn't blame them, the white-pink figure was like a lightbulb to a fly, it was really hard to stop looking at her. He briefly wondered if Destruction had the exact opposite effect when he realized the goddess started moving towards Pavona.

''My Lady?'' He called for her, not sure if she really was in control of her actions or not. The white figure kept floating towards the blue girl, who started looking more and more nervous.

Pavona ordered her allies to protect her, but neither of them dared to move. Were they betraying her? Or just realized they had no chances against the pure power of creation?

''Ladybug!'' He tried again, but she was not listening to him. Crap, he thought, she was not in control after all. He couldn't let her do something she would regret! He started running to put himself in between the villain and the goddess, calling forth his cataclysm.

He looked into those shining red eyes, and he could swear he saw affection in them as she lifted a finger and touched his right hand, where he held his power. It was like someone putting down a candle's flame with two wet fingers, his power vanished as soon as she touched him, staining her fingertips red for a brief second. Why couldn't he do for her what she did for him?! That hug she gave him earlier should have dropped her transformation!

''Please, don't do this, we can handle her'' He said, another cataclysm forming in his hands as he grabbed her arm. This time Creation recoiled, as if she just got burned by his touch. That spot where he just grabbed her turned black-spotted red for a second, showing what was beneath the white pink light before being covered again by the power. A flicker of hope crossed his mind as he understood what he had to do. She looked at him with what he interpreted as annoyance, then lifted that same arm to the air, palm open.

Pavona started nervously laughing behind him, she hadn't called her golem back for some reason, the creature's fists still clashing against Carapaces shield.

''What are you going to do to me? ´´Create me?´´ heal me? '' She mocked. Was she really underestimating a god?

''Lucky charm'' Said Creation with a cold, calm voice, and a giant sword landed on her hand. This time the blue girl did show fear in her face as she realized what Creation could really do.

Pavona uselessly tried to protect her face with her arms as Creation lifted her new weapon, but when she was about to strike a green shield formed around the blue girl. Carapace? but he was…

Chat looked back at where he thought the other two heroes were, and to his confusion they were still there. But then he noticed the fists of the golem were going through the shield, and hitting the ground. It was an illusion! Since when? He didn't have time to wonder, as Creation was about to strike again and the crack on the turtle's protection told him that it wouldn't resist a second one.

He had to stop her, and for that he needed a bigger cataclysm than what he was able to produce right now.

So he transformed into Destruction.


	29. Consequences

Pavona watched as Destruction saved her from Creations wrath. As the darkness took over Chat Noirs figure, she felt her fear return. Why was she so terrified of him? She urged her legs to move as a black smoke came out of the hugging gods in front of her, and a moment later an unconscious Marinette- With her mask still on- was being carefully held by the monster.

Then those toxic green eyes looked at her, and her body finally reacted to her commands. She started running towards her golem, the sentimonster was made to defeat her fear, right? He would protect her!

She hadn't given it any new order since she left it pounding on Carapaces shield distracted by the other events, and she noticed how she had been fooled this whole time. The two heroes and their protections were all an illusion. Where were the real ones? She briefly wondered, looking around as she climbed to her sentimonsters shoulder.

Destruction hadn't moved from his spot at the side of the unconscious heroine, and Pavona saw why. Dragon and moth were both watching, ready to take the earrings from the girl as soon as she was left alone. The villainess recovered her wits as she realized the god would not pursue her, at least not yet. But she was trapped here just like everyone else, the tornado still surrounding the area.

''You can't escape, child. Get those jewels'' Pavona heard the ghost voice say, jumping a little in surprise at her sudden presence.

She didn't need another reminder that her time was limited. She crossed a line with her abuse of the peacock miraculous, and she was going to pay the price as soon as she detransformed. She could feel it. But how was she going to win this on her own? Those two had proven themselves useless already.

''We will protect her'' Said Carapace as he and Rena approached the unconscious girl in the floor and the god that loomed over her in silence.

Nino was not sure until now if Adrien was in control or not, but when Destruction nodded and turned to face Pavona and her golem, he knew that he was. He couldn't decide what was the saddest option, his bro losing control because he got overwhelmed by this disaster, or him making the choice of transforming again, knowing full well the consequences could ruin his life forever. Then again, Adrien's life was never gonna be the same anyways after tonight, thought the turtle remembering that his best friend's identity was not a secret anymore.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Rena at his side call for help. The dragon and the moth were both about to attack them to take the earrings, and they had no time to mourn this terrible night yet.

Destruction started chasing Pavona around the room, the girl just using her golems incredible speed to stay way ahead of his range. He had no intention of really hurting her, but it was time she faced the consequences of her actions.

Soon after he left Carapace and Rena protecting his lady, the wind wall dropped, indicating that they probably defeated the dragon wielder already. In hindsight, it was obvious it would be easier as the adult had used two of the three powers already, and the moth had no more Akumas to make.

Pavona saw this as her chance to run away from the venue, but he predicted her intentions and blocked her exit. On the corner of his vision he saw that all the people that before were hiding under tables and hugging each other in fear in the corners were now trying to get out. They took the chance to run for the door as soon as Destruction stopped blocking it to keep chasing Pavona.

Eventually he caught one of the golems legs, and though it did not vanish as almost everything else he touched did, it did made the monster trip, sending the girl in his shoulders flying out towards the floor. She landed hard but lifted herself up soon enough. She looked around in desperation and her eyes widened bigger as she saw that neither of her allies were in sight anymore.

Destruction ignored the golem and walked towards the blue girl, who started hyperventilating. But then he stopped in his tracks as he saw someone else besides her.

A woman dressed in what looked like an old mongolian war attire, decorated with peacock feathers. She was smiling at Pavona as she talked to her.

''Do the trick I taught you the other day'' Said the woman, and her voice was ethereal and echoing around.

Destruction decided to ignore the apparition and walk towards Pavona again, who nodded nervously as the voice spoke to her, then the girl started crying. The piece of wood she had been holding this whole time shone a deep blue, and the god heard a furious growl behind him. He looked back, and noticed that the golem was twice the size it was before and the flame that enveloped his shape was emitting a hot blast of pure energy that even Destruction had a hard time not recoiling to.

''Oh no'' Muttered Carapace at her side as Rena Rouge was trying to wake Marinette up.

They let the dragon and the moth escape after the two of them probably realized they were not winning this time. Both of them had used almost all their powers, and after the dragon attempted a water attack and they repelled it successfully, they ran away. Rena didn't want to let them go, but they couldn't just leave Marinette alone like this.

The fox heroine lifted her vision to see the golem that was not as intimidating as she thought it should be before, transforming into what looked like a leveled up version of itself. How was that possible? She thought as the glanced at Pavona, who was clutching a piece of wood as she cried on the floor, trembling pathetically.

She knew Destruction was extremely powerful, but she also knew that this monster was made specifically to fight him. And if somehow Pavona's increased fear made it more powerful...

''He needs our help'' Said the turtle hero and she had to agree after a couple of seconds of watching Destruction not do any damage to the golem.

The wind suddenly stopped blowing and blocking their path, Viperion immediately took this chance to finally get inside the room. He called for his power as soon as he was at a decent distance from the action.

He used his first second chance to just watch and try to understand what happened.

Marinette was unconscious on the floor but her identity was still safe, apparently. Rena Rouge and Carapace were trying to wake her up and protecting her. There was no sight of the adult miraculous users, which kind of made sense since the tornado stopped to let him in, and the guests and media people were trying to escape now that they could.

The elephant of the room, however, was the enormous golem that was fighting against a dark figure. He recognized the sentimonster, though it seemed to be bigger and scarier than before. It took him awhile but he finally located Pavona cowering on the floor, holding her Amok object with both her hands and trembling violently.

''What are you waiting for? We need to do something!'' Said Chloe by his side.

''I'm doing something'' He said as he ran towards the fox and the turtle first. Their jewels were beeping loudly, their time before transforming back shorter and shorter. Even after all their training, they probably had less than five minutes.

They were surprised to see him, like they forgot he was supposed to be there too. It kind of hurt, but he didn't blame them after they told him what occurred as he was unable to help or watch. He asked as many details as he could, and the four of them started formulating a plan to end this once and for all.

It only took two second chances to defeat Pavona's golem.

The sentimonster was powerful, but once he recalled time with all the information he needed, distracting it while Destruction went after Pavona again was almost too easy to be true. The monster's strength and speed were formidable, but they only needed to distract him long enough for the god to destroy the object Pavona held. The five minutes almost passed completely when the golem finally vanished, and the heroes were about to transform back, exhausted. Thankfully everyone else in the room evacuated already, and no one dared to enter yet as Alya, Nino and Viperion laid on the floor, sweating and panting. Ok, it was not easy, but compared to the other fifteen thousand fights he previously failed to win against the creature, this was a welcomed surprise. Then again, those other times the numbers were a bit more even.

But the job was not done yet, there was one more thing left to do. Pavona.

He looked around to see where the girl and the god were, but he didn't need to search for long as he saw her running past all of them towards the door, crying for her life. She was still transformed, so the snake hero guessed she just dropped the object for Destruction to, well, destroy it, and ran away. As predicted, the still transformed force of nature chased after her, only to finally catch her right after she opened the doors.

As that was happening, Viperion heard a groan coming from the other side of the room: Marinette was waking up.

Adrien's conscience was getting annoyed at chasing Pavona so much. Destruction was powerful, but he had the same speed of any other transformed miraculous wielder, so the girl kept being able to escape him. He finally grabbed her arm after she had to stop to open the doors, revealing a bunch of officers and cameras waiting outside.

He didn't have any more time to waste, so he did what he had to do so long ago. His right dark claw approached the girls forehead while she sobbed in fear. Silly Lila, he thought, he wasn't going to kill her. Just delete her memories, her connection to the peacock miraculous and her curse. As he was about to do it, he heard a loud scream resonating around him.

The same woman dressed in an old mongolian attire appeared next to them, and started talking to him.

''If you keep doing that, I'll make sure you regret it!'' She threatened, but for the way she waved her hands and circled around him like a vulture, he knew that she really couldn't do anything. She was just a ghost.

He ignored her and finished the job, and Pavona's transformation dropped while he held her in his arms, limp.

''She was perfect!'' Said the ghost one more time before Destructions form finally dropped. He had been holding it for so long, longer than ever before. An exhaustion wave overcame his body and he kneeled, not being able to hold Lila's unmoving body any longer.

People around him gasped, and he knew he had cameras pointing at him, but at this point it didn't even matter, did it? The damage was already done. He started to stand up, his legs shaking as he did, leaving the girl in the floor as tenderly as he could. The first person to move was a paramedic, who immediately checked Lila's vitals.

Adrien's heart sank when he saw the man shake his head, and even before he announced that the girl was dead, more horrified gasps coming from the crowd. The boy turned around to look at the door as he recognized one of them.

Marinette, still dressed up and mask covering her face, stood at the top of the stairs next to the giant doors. She was holding both hands close to where her mouth was as she stared at the scene.

''He killed her…'' Someone whispered, and then others joined.

He looked at Marinette one more time, and saw that there were tears coming down from behind her mask. It was such a weird thing, knowing she was crying behind that petrified smile. He realized as he had that thought that he was in shock again. People were starting to get closer to him after they got over whatever apprehensions they had. He glanced at a couple officers, ready with handcuffs.

''Kid, move!'' Adrien heard Plagg say to his ear, and at the same time he noticed Marinette was trying to get closer too. No, Paris still needed Ladybug, he thought.

His body finally responded, and he gestured for her to stop moving before he darted away from the place. The men in charge of arresting him probably were not expecting Adrien Agreste, sunshine boy and model, to run away from the law like that, so it took them a while to start chasing him. But it was too late, as the advantage he already had was enough for him to vanish into the night.

Marinette could barely see as the tears covered the mask. But she couldn't take it off, she couldn't follow Adrien, she couldn't stop being Ladybug. No matter how much she wanted to, his hand signaling for her to stop before he ran away was enough to remind her that one of them being a public enemy was enough.

She sniffed, then quickly went back inside to get her friends out of there before anyone else's life got ruined.

They were all standing up and waiting for her and Chat Noir to return, and as they realized he was not coming their shoulders dropped. The first one to react was Nino.

''Where is Adrien?'' The Dj asked, and Marinette ignored him, knowing that if she tried to answer their questions right now the tears wouldn't stop.

The only thing she could manage to say was a constricted ´´Let's get out of here´´ before she continued to walk, searching for the backdoor of the place. The others followed her after some hesitation, and she would always be grateful for their blind faith in her. That's what she asked of the city less than an hour ago, wasn't it? She thought bitterly. Faith and trust. And the first thing she did as the fight got difficult was lose control. And now her partner paid the price. She felt the tears starting to resurface against her will.

She decided to stop thinking until she was safe, not sure if she wanted to ever think of anything ever again.


	30. Dear princess

Trying to not make any sound, Viperion opened the window of the hospital. He looked around the dark room to check there was no one else but him and the sleeping figure of Master Fu.

This was the second time since the gala that the snake hero sneaked into a place, after he tried to recover the miracle box from Lila's room only to discover that it wasn't there.

''Hello, Master. You don't know me yet but I guess it's time I introduced myself…'' The snake hero started whispering after hesitating for a bit.

''I'm your successor, the new, ah, guardian'' The boy could feel his face blushing as he spoke. Why was he being so awkward talking to a comatose man?

Viperion sat on the bed, Master Fu was small enough that he didn't need the extra space anyways. He sighed.

''I've tried my best, but I think I'm not qualified for what is happening right now…'' He said, and immediately knew he didn't really believe that. He was sad about the result of the fight at the gala two days ago, but he was also sure that no one else could have done anything differently. Maybe he was getting arrogant, but Viperion truly believed they did everything in their power to solve their problems, and the terrible consequences were just… life being unfair, or maybe destiny.

He sat in silence as he started overthinking all the things he could have done better, but, and this was most frustrating for a hero that could manipulate time, what was done was done.

''I hope you wake up soon… Not because I want you to see this mess, but there is a girl that really needs you right now'' He said, walking again towards the window.

Sure, he was the new guardian, and he knew Marinette pretty well. He had done, along with their other friends, their best to comfort each other and the girl after Adrien disappeared. But Master Fu had trained Ladybug, helped mold and guide her to what she ended up becoming. And he was sure that what the girl needed the most right now was a reminder that she was still Ladybug, and this man that had chosen her was one of the few people that could do that right now.

''Anything else, miss?'' Asked Jean the butler before he left her alone in her room again. Chloe shook her head.

''I'm alright, thanks'' She assured him, realizing too late that her being nice and polite was probably only gonna worry the man even more. After a bit, she heard the door closing behind her, her eyes still glued to her phone.

She was watching a debate where a bunch of people that didn't even know any of them in person argued with each other about the heroes of Paris. She suppressed the irritation that hearing these people speak out of ignorance inspired in her, and tried to listen. She needed to be informed after all.

''I don't think we should be judging these kids so harshly'' Was a woman saying, and Chloe instantly liked her just because of that.

''A girl died, sure she was a bit of a liar and she probably had a grudge against the heroes, but killing minors is not the solution! The law is the law, Adrien Agreste should be in jail with his father'' Said a bald man. Chloe cringed at the mental image of her Adrikins wearing striped clothes and eating unidentified substances from the prisons cafeteria.

''It's still not confirmed that Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth'' Retorted another man, sitting beside the woman that talked first.

''I think that basement under his house is proof enough''

''And it makes sense, why else would the so called heroes leave him be? Because it was the father of one of them!''

Chloe recalled the news following the raid into the Agreste mansion right after the gala, where they not only discovered the strange basement full of butterflies, but also that a lot of stuff was apparently missing, like some of Adrien's clothes and almost everything in the safe. The girl had no idea how he did it that fast, but she was glad Adrien was at least acting rationally instead of just… running off without anything. There was also no sign of the family's bodyguard.

''We have lawyers right now working with our government to finally update the legal system so that people that defend us are not abandoned by the law when things like this happen'' Said the woman, and Chloe wasn't entirely sure she liked the government starting to mess around with what the heroes could and couldn't do, but if it meant that they would stop chasing her Adrikins around….

''´´Things like this?´´ a girl died!'' Sheesh, this man had no other arguments, did he? but as soon as she thought that, Chloe felt immensely guilty remembering the image of Ambassador Rossi helplessly crying for her dead daughter.

''And Ladybug already explained it was an accident!''

The conversation went downhill from there and Chloe lost interest, having already heard about the short interview Ladybug gave to the reporters regarding the situation. It was kind of a miracle that no one seemed to have connected the dots yet on the heroines identity, considering Marinette was Adrien's girlfriend, but then again, Luka had already explained how powerful the glamour was, specially on people that didn't know them personally.

One more time, Chloe wondered what was her childhood friend doing right now. Had he eaten? Was he alone or maybe the gorilla was with him? and more importantly, what was he going to do from now on?

Simon, better known to almost everyone around him as the gorilla, carried two bags on the train station as he followed a boy that covered his hair with a black hoodie.

They entered the train, not after he noticed Adrien looking around first, then sat on their seats as soon as they found them. The bodyguard glanced everyone on their vicinity, to make sure no one was staring. The ex-model was wearing one of those masks people used when they got sick, that covered half of his face, while the hoodie shaded the rest. Simon couldn't talk, but he still managed to convince Adrien that morning that wearing sunglasses on top of all that would attract more attention than if people saw his eyes. Besides, the effect was only really noticeable on the dark.

He noticed the boy beside him relaxing, and he knew he was asleep. He let him slip on his shoulder, knowing full well sleep was going to be rare from no own for both of them. Not only was the law ordered to look for them and arrest on sight, but there were two men that the gorilla noticed were following them around too. These past two days had been a nightmare for the boy as he slowly realized he couldn't stay in Paris anymore.

He recalled watching Ladybug on the news doing her best to defend her partner, and though a lot of people agreed that the situation was not as black and white as it looked, the government had to follow the law, until it changed, that is, to forge an appropriate response to accidents heroes might have while on the job. Simon had faith that one day Adrien would go back to live a semi normal life, even though everyone now knew his secret identity, but he also knew that anything to do with the court was slow business. So, running away was the wise option for now.

As for his former employer, Gabriel Agreste… He didn't have as many hopeful thoughts. The bodyguard never really approved of the man's actions to get his wife back, even if the woman was her creator, but he had decided to stay with the family anyways. His duty was protecting Adrien at all costs, and even though he didn't feel the compulsion of doing so anymore, thanks to being granted freedom a while ago by Gabriel, it was the only life he knew. He would also be lying to himself if he denied the affection he felt for the boy, a fatherly instict that griped at his heart whenever he saw him.

That feeling was especially strong when he found Adrien walking around like a zombie the night of the gala. The boy was heading towards the mansion, which the gorilla had already cleared of all the important things. Gabriel had asked him beforehand to do it, the man's paranoia paying off as the party became a nightmare. The first thing he gave to the boy, however, was a very old monkey plushie. Adrien had stared at it in confusion at first, but then he got out of his stupor and grabbed it, looking at the bodyguard in the eyes.

''I'll protect this…'' Whispered the broken boy as he held the plushie. Simon tried to convey with his eyes that the feeling was mutual, and he was pretty sure Adrien understood the gist of it.

They both walked away from the home that held so many of memories for them, and spent a couple of stressing days running around Paris, trying to figure out how to avoid all these people that were looking for the boy.

And now they were here, on a train to Lille. Adrien was still sleeping and the gorilla was finally starting to relax too as no one around them seemed to pay them any mind.

They would be fine.

Marinette stared at the brooch on her hands.

The peacock miraculous was one of the two things that appeared tied to her window, along with a letter written with a rushed calligraphy that she recognized anyways.

''Aren't you going to read it, Marinette?'' Asked Tikki, forcing her to stop ignoring the piece of paper that was both the envoltory of the jewel and the most important part of the package.

She sighed as she left the brooch on her desk. She never had the chance to look at it properly before, but she was sure it was not cursed anymore.

Then she did her best to straighten the piece of paper without damaging its inked content. It had spent the whole humid night outside, and she was afraid some parts would not be legible if she smudged it by accident.

But she knew deep inside that she was just stalling, not wanting to read these last words her partner had left for her. She sighed, and prepared herself to inevitably start crying again.

´´ Dear princess:

I know things look really bad right now, and I'm sorry our time together was cut short by my mistakes. I enjoyed every bit of it, and I won't ever give up on us being together again. But right now I need to be away, so you won't see me for a while. There is a lot we need to talk about, and I would have texted you but the gorilla made me throw my phone away.

So I'll send you letters like those old school lovers, I'm sure you'd like that, considering how many failed ones you tried to send me before.

Sorry, I know it's not a good time to be joking, all I really wanted to tell you is that I love you, my lady, and no distance, walls or enemies will change that.

Farewell, for now.

Your Kitty.

P.S.: Please burn this letter after reading it, I don't think they would search your house, but it would be cool, like the spies in those movies do.

P.S.2: Sorry for being an idiot, I love you.´´

...

Thanks to everyone that read this story!, this fic is over but I will continue with this AU on a second part, though it wont come out until March at least.

Make sure to check the fanart I made for this on my tumblr: blog/brasslass


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